HANFORD – Police arrested two men for allegedly attempting to kidnap and rape a woman in an alley on Sunday night.
Hanford PD arrested 31-year-old Hernan Sandoval and 26-year-old Alberto Rodriguez on suspicion of robbery, sexual assault, attempted rape, and attempted kidnapping.
100 7th Street, Hanford
The incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. when police received reports of a woman screaming from an alley near the Hanford Opera House. Officers arriving at the scene found a female victim lying on the ground, according to the police department.
The woman told officers that she had been walking down the alleyway, located just south of the 100 block of West Seventh Street, when a man approached her and asked her if she needed a ride. She kept walking, but the man followed her, and a red car with the passenger door open soon began following both of them.
That’s when the man grabbed the woman by the waist and pulled her toward the car door. She was able to get away and she took off running down the alley. The man caught up to her, cornered her, and proceeded to beat her and sexually assault her, according to authorities.
The man — identified as Rodriguez — grabbed her purse and cell phone, then got into the car and left. Sandoval was the driver.
Police found the suspects’ vehicle in the 1100 block of Harris Street and arrested Sandoval. They were able to catch up to Rodriguez, who had fled the scene, in the 1000 block of Carmel Ct.
Both suspects are being held in the Kings County Jail without bail.
Read more:
ABC Local: Hanford men accused of attempted kidnapping, sexual assault, and robbery
