Suspect In Monrovia Kidnapping In Custody After Downtown LA Standoff; Girlfriend Still Missing
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A man who police said was seen kidnapping his girlfriend has been taken into custody after a standoff in downtown LA.
The gray Toyota Prius with a license plate matching the one reported in the Monrovia kidnapping was found by LAPD officers at about 3 a.m. near Hill and Second streets. LAPD cruisers and a SWAT vehicle tightly surrounded the car, where 27-year-old Robert Anthony Camou was inside.
"He's moving around, laying down in the backseat, kind of covered up like he's asleep," an LAPD official said during a news conference.
Police were not sure if Camou was armed, so the SWAT team was called in. After about five hours, officers ended the standoff by introducing "a chemical agent into the vehicle."
Camou was taken into custody just before 8 a.m. But police are still searching for his girlfriend, 31-year-old Amanda Kathleen Custer.
"We don't know her well being, the status of her, so we're still looking for her," Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Scott Hoglund said.
Witnesses told police Custer was last seen being pushed into the hatch area of a gray Toyota Prius Monday at about 8:15 a.m. Sheriff's investigators say they believe she was being put there against her will, although she did not appear to be struggling.
Investigators said Camou and Custer had been dating for about two years and lived only a block away from one another. Deputies also said they have had to respond to calls involving the couple before, but on Monday blood was found from an apparent assault.
Deputies have said they are not limiting the search to one particular area and are asking the public to call if they see Custer or have any information about her whereabouts.
Several streets surrounding the scene were blocked off, but were reopened by 8:30 a.m.
It's unclear whether Camou is cooperating with police in the search for Custer.