Crime & Safety

Kidnapping Suspect Evades Arrest in Malibu

Deputies established a perimeter in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Corral Canyon Road and hunted for the suspect overnight.

A suspected car thief and kidnapper escaped early Monday as a sheriff's deputy was trying to handcuff him in Malibu, authorities said.

Deputies established a perimeter in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Corral Canyon Road and hunted overnight and into the morning for Jaci Barragon, 32, according to Sgt. Anthony Arnold of the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station.

The escape occurred shortly before 2 a.m. as a deputy went to investigate a Nissan Sentra parked on the side of the road, Arnold said. The intense search around PCH and Corral Canyon Road was called off at 9:30 a.m.

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"They are assuming he was able to get out of our containment area," Arnold said.

Deputies conducted several searches of the vacant BeauRivage buildings and Solstice Canyon. He remained at large as of Tuesday afternoon.

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Barragon and a woman were in the car, and investigators believe she was kidnapped in Huntington Park and sexually assaulted, he said.

A deputy managed to place a handcuff on Barragon's right wrist, but there was a struggle and Barragon ran away, Arnold said. Barragon was described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 8, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

A deputy suffered a hand injury.

At Bluff's Park, a pair of pants were discovered by a jogger and are being tested for DNA to see if they belong to Barragon, according to the sheriff's department.

-City News Service contributed to this report.


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