Deputies: Madera kidnap victim tricks captors, leads to capture

A kidnapped man managed to alert authorities that he was trapped inside a car by pretending to call his girlfriend, but was actually on the phone with emergency dispatchers, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday.

The victim, whose name was not released, escaped uninjured after deputies stopped the car and captured the two suspects, Christopher McCombs and his uncle William McCombs, both Coarsegold men, officials said in a news release.

Deputies said the uncle and nephew know the victim and asked him for a ride to the store Friday night. The men then forced the victim into the back of his car and drove toward Selma, deputies said.

“The victim tried to convince the suspects to stop and let him out of the vehicle but they would not,” deputies said. “At one point he was able to call 911 on his cellphone and give the dispatcher clues to his whereabouts while pretending to be talking to his girlfriend.”

California Highway Patrol officers located the vehicle on Highway 99 south of Fresno and eventually stopped it near Selma after a short pursuit. The two suspects ran from the car but were quickly captured.

“People who abuse narcotics make some strange decisions that threaten the safety of others, and this certainly appears to be one of those circumstances” Sheriff Jay Varney said.

The suspects were booked at Madera County jail on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping, conspiracy and evasion, deputies said.

Christopher McCombs is also being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, deputies said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Deputies: Madera kidnap victim tricks captors, leads to capture."