Man and woman held in kidnapping and carjacking at Fresno parts store, police say

A man and a woman were taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and were to be booked on charges of carjacking and kidnapping after a man working on his car at an auto parts store was abducted in southeast Fresno.

The incident took place just before noon as the man was checking under the hood of his Ford F-150 pickup at an AutoZone at First and Tulare streets, according to Lt. Mark Hudson.

One of the suspects approached him and put what was believed to be a gun against his back. He was ordered to get into the pickup with the suspects.

Hudson said the victim was able to break free from his abductors and get in another car with his wife. Together, they followed the suspects to a house near Carmen Avenue and Fifth Street, which is close to the Mayfair shopping center at First Street and McKinley Avenue.

Police flooded the neighborhood with officers, a SWAT team, a police dog and a helicopter. Nearby Mayfair Elementary School was put on lockdown.

About six people were taken out a a house on Fifth, and police said a man and a woman were identified by witnesses as the suspects, and they were arrested. The male suspect was not cooperating with officers and refused to identify himself, prompting officers to call for a fingerprint kit.

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 2:09 PM.