A Gilroy woman was arrested for allegedly carjacking and kidnapping a motorist, according to the Los Banos Police Department.
On May 31 at approximately 7:14 p.m., Los Banos police officers were dispatched to the Rite Aid parking lot at 1360 E. Pacheco Blvd after receiving a report of a carjacking, police said.
Officers arrived on scene and contacted the victim, who reported she was driving northbound on Center Avenue when a vehicle behind her began honking its horn. She pulled over to the side of the road, thinking an emergency vehicle was trying to go around traffic.
The suspect’s vehicle pulled over behind her. The victim, whose age was not disclosed, got out of her vehicle and a female, later identified as Sophia Nadine Torres, 27, of Gilroy, stepped out of the other vehicle and approached the female.
Torres proceeded to get into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle and began to drive away, police said.
The vehicle had a manual transmission and stalled, allowing the victim to jump into the front passenger seat to try to stop her vehicle from being stolen, according to law enforcement.
Torres then drove northbound on Center Avenue, then eastbound on Pacheco Boulevard, while the victim begged Torres to stop, according to police. The victim reportedly told police the suspect drove recklessly through traffic, causing her to grab the steering wheel to try to avoid collisions with other vehicles.
The vehicle entered the Rite Aid parking lot, hitting a stop sign and colliding with a curb before coming to a stop, police said. The suspect got out of the driver’s seat and entered a blue colored vehicle that had just arrived, before fleeing the scene.
Ultimately detectives found, identified and arrested Torres on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping and hit and run.
Torres is being held at the Merced County Main Jail in lieu of a $200,500 bond.
