A kidnapping and domestic violence suspect who eluded authorities following a chase through Orange and Los Angeles counties was behind bars Wednesday morning in Huntington Park, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Thomas Ueno was arrested without incident about 7 p.m. Tuesday, by the sheriff’s deputies and Huntington Park police officers in the 17800 block of Kensington Avenue in Cerritos, said sheriff’s Deputy Sara Rodriguez.
The suspect was arrested about a block from his mother’s house, a news videographer reported from the scene. His mother called the sheriff’s department saying he was coming to her house in Cerritos by public bus, according to the the videographer.
Ueno was then turned over to the Huntington Park Police Department, sheriff’s Deputy Trina Schrader said early Wednesday morning.
The search for Ueno, which began Monday night, continued throughout most of Tuesday. The chase had ended Monday night in Newport Beach with an hours- long standoff and a dash to safety by the man’s estranged wife and children.
Newport Beach police, assisted by California Highway Patrol officers, searched for Ueno, who abandoned his SUV near Dover Drive and 16th Street in Newport Beach and ran off into a park, according to Newport Beach police.
Ueno originally was wanted in connection with a domestic violence case, but once he refused to pull over for law enforcement authorities, he became a kidnapping suspect, said CHP Officer Denise Quesada.
The chase began at 4:47 p.m. Monday in Buena Park when that city’s police department was contacted by its counterpart in Huntington Park, which feared a domestic violence situation had developed.
Police said they were concerned the driver was armed.
Authorities chased the Hummer the man had been driving on streets and freeways. On surface streets, the driver was reckless, once driving the wrong way. On freeways, he drove carefully, according to media reports.
Much of the chase north from Los Angeles County was on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway. The suspect stopped at Pacific Coast Highway and Jamboree Road in Newport Beach after being followed over a number of Orange County freeways.
The suspect resumed driving, finally stopping at Dover and 16th Street in Newport Beach, near Newport Harbor High School. Dover was closed in both directions by Newport Beach police.
The driver stopped there and a standoff began. Around 10 p.m. Monday, the woman and children ran from the vehicle to police. News footage showed the suspect exiting the Hummer and fleeing on foot.
—City News Service