Man accused of kidnapping 17-year-old in Oxnard is arrested

A 17-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped in Oxnard and stuffed in a cargo compartment of an SUV escaped after the suspect got into a vehicle accident and ran off, according to officials.

On January 15, around 8:30 p.m., Oxnard Police Department officers responded to a Marshalls store on Ventura Boulevard for a disturbance call. Police said a man named Carlos Canon assaulted someone with a belt and tried to hit another person with his vehicle.

Through witness statements, surveillance, and cellphone video, investigators determined that Canon forcefully grabbed the 17-year-old against her will and threw her in his SUV's rear cargo compartment.

He drove off and continued to drive recklessly along city streets with the girl in his trunk, police said. She told police later that she tried to escape but couldn't.

A short time later, Canon was involved in a traffic collision near Auto Center Drive and Rose Avenue, with the girl still inside the vehicle. He ran off, and she escaped.

Canon and the victim were loosely acquainted through mutual friends and were with a group of friends at a nearby business before the assault, according to police.

Investigators learned that Canon was in custody at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on unrelated charges and arrested him for kidnapping, child endangerment, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.