COARSEGOLD — Two men are behind bars after being charged with carjacking and kidnapping, among a list of other crimes.
At about 6:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, a man was allegedly carjacked and kidnapped from a residence on Blackfoot Road in Coarsegold, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim told investigators he knew the two suspects and voluntarily drove to their house to give them a ride to a convenience store, but they then forced him into the back of his vehicle and began driving towards Fresno.
The victim reportedly tried to convince the suspects to stop and let him out of the vehicle but they would not. At one point he was able to call 911 on his cell phone and give the dispatcher clues to his whereabouts while pretending to be talking to his girlfriend.
CHP officers located the vehicle on Highway 99 south of Fresno and eventually stopped it near Selma after a short pursuit. The two suspects fled the vehicle on foot, but were quickly located and arrested.
The victim was not injured during the incident and easily identified the two suspects since he knew them. The suspects apparently told the victim they needed to get to the Selma area to buy narcotics, but no other motive has been established for the crime.
“People who abuse narcotics make some strange decisions that threaten the safety of others, and this certainly appears to be one of those circumstances,” said Sheriff Varney.
The suspects, Christopher McCombs and his uncle William McCombs, were transported to the Madera County Jail where they were booked for carjacking, kidnapping, conspiracy and evasion. Christopher McCombs is also being charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs.
