Abducted Oakland Landlord Rescued After Police Chase
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A landlord dispute with a tenant escalated into a kidnapping and police chase through the streets of Oakland Monday morning, authorities said.
According to police, the dispute in West Oakland turned violent around 7:30 a.m. The tenant kidnapped his elderly landlady from a house on Oak Street.
Investigators said the tenant struck one of the landlord's family members with an object and the pushed the landlord -- a woman in her 70s -- into a silver Hyundai sedan and sped away.
The victims didn't want to talk with KPIX 5 on camera because they are concerned about their safety, but spoke about the frightening confrontation Monday afternoon
35-year-old Jonathan showed the bruises on his arm.
"It was darker before. But I put some ice on it recently, so it's now just sore as hell," he said,
He said he was at home with his 71-year-old mother Linda when the tenant showed up.
"There was an argument. The tenant assaulted one of the family members of the landlord," said Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson.
Jonathan said when he wouldn't let the tenant inside, the tenant started beating him with his mother's cane, hitting him at least three times.
The landlord's daughter said the tenant then dragged her elderly mother outside and forced her into his grey coupe, screaming over and over again he was going to kill her.
"As officers were arriving to the scene, that's when the suspect and the victim -- who is the landlord -- were leaving in this vehicle that you see right here," explained Watson.
A police pursuit ensued and lasted for 45 minutes before it ended in the 200 block of Lorenzo Avenue in East Oakland after the suspect rammed into a police car.
The tenant/suspect was taken into custody and Linda was rescued by police. She was shaken up, but wasn't hurt.
"If our officers had been even a seconds later, they wouldn't have seen the suspect vehicle leaving with the victim," said Watson.
The landlord's family tells KPIX 5 the suspect had only moved into one of their units a few weeks ago. They believe the tenant is dealing with some mental health issues and possibly substance abuse.
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