Photo: Alexander Arriola
FREMONT— An armed man was arrested on suspicion of attempted kidnapping and child endangerment two blocks away from the Steven Millard Elementary School.
A suspect was arrested on April 22 after police reviewed videos from private surveillance cameras near where the victim reported being accosted.
Arriola’s vehicle
The victim told police that she was walking with her toddler on Valpey Park Avenue on April 21 near Butano Park Drive when an unknown man parked near the intersection shortly after 9 a.m.
The suspect engaged the young mother in conversation from his vehicle and told her that he was lost. He handed his cell phone to the woman and asked for directions to a nearby area—then allegedly pulled a gun on her.
The victim told police that the man ordered her to get inside his vehicle, but she picked up her toddler and ran away instead, while still holding on to his phone.
The suspect exited his vehicle yelling and demanded that she return his phone, which she did by throwing it towards him as she continued fleeing from him, police said. He picked up the phone, returned to his car and immediately drove away.
Investigating officers were able to identify the suspect’s vehicle after reviewing multiple nearby residents’ surveillance camera recordings, which showed him leaving the crime scene.
A patrol officer located the suspect on April 22 at 4:28 p.m. near Fremont Boulevard and Blacow Road. Additional officers were dispatched to assist, which culminated in a traffic stop nearby at the intersection of Franklin and Roberts avenues.
The suspect, Alexander Arriola, a 19-year-old resident of Fremont, was detained and officers recovered a handgun that was inside his vehicle.
Arriola was booked at Santa Rita Jail, charged with attempted kidnapping, child endangerment, possession of a loaded firearm inside a vehicle, and several enhanced weapons charges. He remains in custody in lieu of $275,000 bond, and he’s scheduled to appear in court on April 27.
