A man suspected of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and driving her to Malibu in a stolen car was arrested Tuesday afternoon in east Los Angeles, one day after he eluded a nine-hour manhunt by sheriff ’s deputies in the Malibu hills.
Jaci Barragon, 32, was taken into custody shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, after barricading himself in a residence in Maywood, according to sheriff ’s spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. He faces multiple charges, including kidnapping and theft of a vehicle, although Nishida could not confirm reports of sexual assault allegations by the suspect against the kidnapping victim.
Maywood is a small east Los Angeles city close to Huntington Park, where Barragon is accused of initiating a crime spree that began with the kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend last weekend and driving her to Malibu in a stolen Nissan Sentra from South Gate, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.
A sheriff’s deputy came across the reportedly stolen vehicle parked on the eastbound shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway near Corral Canyon Road around 1:15 a.m. Monday. Before approaching the car, the deputy ran its license plate number and learned it had been reported stolen, according to authorities.
Barragon and the female were inside the car. When the deputy attempted to arrest the man, the suspect fled toward Corral Canyon Road.
A nine-hour search ensued after Barragon got away. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department set up a 1.5-mile perimeter in the area near Pacific Coast Highway and Corral Canyon Road, searching nearby Solstice Canyon and the old BeauRivage restaurant, but called the search off “assuming that he’s gotten out of our containment,” according to Sgt. Anthony Arnold of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s station.
“If he’s gone then hopefully he’s gone for good,” Arnold said after the search was called off.
Authorities did not know whether Barragon was able to get away in another car or if he had a cell phone with him so that he could call for help.
“The deputy confiscated a phone from him before he tried to handcuff him,” Sgt. Johnson of the Malibu/ Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said. “But he could have had another phone.”
The case was turned over to detectives in South Gate, but the Sheriff’s department alerted all its county deputies to look out for Barragon.
“There’s a no-bail warrant for his arrest, so all law enforcement is on the lookout,” Whitmore said Monday before his arrest the next day.