Two men in their 20s were arrested in Anaheim after they allegedly kidnapped a person in Newport Beach, police said.
Steele Malone Burnside, 29, of Anaheim and Nicholas Andres Hernandez, 29, of Murrieta, were arrested late Sunday night in Anaheim by Newport Beach detectives and their SWAT unit, according to police Monday.
The victim also was found unhurt and released by police.
The case began with a call from Santa Monica Police to Newport Beach Police on Saturday, about an alleged kidnapping that took place in Newport Beach during a reported drug deal.
“Police in Santa Monica and Los Angeles were conducting a missing person investigation for someone in their area and discovered the alleged kidnapping,” Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Investigators in Newport Beach then began their own investigation and tracked down Burnside and Hernandez along with the victim at a location in Anaheim, according to Manzella.
Late Sunday evening the SWAT team armed with search warrants raided the Anaheim location and took Burnside and Hernandez into custody without incident.
The victim’s name and motive for the kidnapping were not disclosed by police.
Both men were being held without bail at Orange County Jail. They are scheduled to be arraigned in Central Jail Court on Wednesday.
—City News Service