San Rafael woman rescued after alleged kidnapping
Three held in woman's kidnapping in San Rafael
A woman was kidnapping by a group of men in a car but rescued by San Rafael police who tracked her cell phone.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A woman was rescued over the weekend after she was allegedly kidnapped in San Rafael by suspects she met through an app, authorities said.
Meeting turns dangerous
What we know:
According to the San Rafael Police Department, the woman and three men arranged to meet on Saturday in the city’s Canal neighborhood. Police did not specify which app they used to connect.
When the suspects picked her up, they changed their plans. The woman asked to be let out, but the suspects refused, police said. Instead, they drove her to an open space area on Robert Dollar Drive.
Threatened at knife point
Dig deeper:
Authorities said one of the suspects threatened the woman with a knife and prevented her from fleeing. She was eventually able to call 911 and escape.
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The victim told dispatchers that her alleged kidnappers were using drugs and had taken her to an unknown location. Dispatchers used GPS information from her phone to determine her whereabouts.
Suspects caught
What's next:
As the victim was fleeing, she began to scream for help. An officer in the area located her as the suspects were driving away, police said.
Officers stopped the suspects’ vehicle a few blocks away and arrested the three men inside. They were identified as Sergio Godinez-Lopez, 24; Christopher Moneroso, 21; and Jonathan Valenzuela-Castro, 21.
All three were booked into Marin County Jail on felony charges, including kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.
The Source: Information for this story was sourced from the San Rafael Police Department.