A man suspected of carjacking a motorist in Lake Elsinore and forcing the victim, at gunpoint, to drive him over 25 miles was being held Friday on $1 million bail.
Jerry Frias Tolentino of Menifee was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Thursday on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Tolentino allegedly confronted the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, including gender, in the area of Railroad Canyon Road and Summerhill Drive shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Jeff Reese alleged that the suspect flashed a gun and ordered the motorist to head north, though the specific route wasn’t provided.
Reese said that the victim followed Tolentino’s commands, driving him into Corona, where the suspect got out of the car and left on foot.
The motorist, who was not injured, contacted the sheriff’s department, providing details that deputies used to initiate a search, culminating in the suspect being located and taken into custody without incident on North Lemon Street in Orange about 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the sergeant.
Background information on Tolentino was not available.