Man, Woman Suspected Of Stealing Car Taken Into Custody After Hours-Long Standoff In Irvine Ends
IRVINE (CBSLA) — A man who was barricaded in an apartment with a woman in Irvine for more than eight hours Wednesday following a high-speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle remained in custody Thursday.
Irvine Police Department officers said they responded to The Village at Irvine Spectrum apartment complex, 50 Prism, at about 9 a.m. Wednesday for reports of a possibly stolen vehicle.
When officers arrived on scene, they spoke with a man who said he had met Daniel Ramirez and his girlfriend, Mallory Arredondo, several days earlier. He said the pair asked to borrow his Ford Mustang, but when he declined, they took it anyway.
An officer then spotted the vehicle at about 12:25 p.m. at attempted to make a stop, but the driver fled and a short pursuit ensued before being called off due to the suspect's dangerous driving, police said.
Officers then found the unoccupied vehicle with its engine running about 20 minutes later in an underground parking structure at the complex. Officers attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle, but were unable to make contact.
They believed he was inside his residence and possible in danger due to the "suspicious circumstances," according to police. Officers then evacuated neighboring apartments and the Orange County Fire Authority was asked to stage nearby to provide aid in the event someone was injured.
The owner of the vehicle then exited his apartment and told police he had been pistol-whipped and held against his will be Ramirez and Arredondo, but was allowed to leave after the pair heard announcements from the police department.
The man also told police that Ramirez and Arredondo, who barricaded themselves in the apartment, were armed with multiple firearms.
An IPD SWAT team responded to the scene at about 6:55 p.m. and were able to take both Arredondo and Ramirez into custody shortly before 9 p.m., the department said.
Police said a non-serialized AR-15 assault rifle and two handguns in various states of disassembly were recovered from the apartment.
Ramirez was arrested and booked at the Orange County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and outstanding warrants. Arredondo was arrested for outstanding warrants, cited and released.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Det. Jason Renshaw at 949-724-7244 or jrenshaw@cityofirvine.org.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
