Anaheim Man Arrested Following Early Morning Kidnapping and Assault in Fullerton
FULLERTON, CA – Fullerton Police arrested 42-year-old Charles Hernandez of Anaheim on Sunday evening following an early morning incident involving a vehicle pursuit, kidnapping, and assault.
The incident began at approximately 4:09 a.m. on April 19, 2026, when Fullerton Police dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from a female victim reporting an attack at S. Acacia Avenue and Dawns Way. During the call, the dispatcher heard a struggle followed by the sounds of a vehicle fleeing the scene. Officers arrived within two minutes and encountered a male victim who reported that a suspect had assaulted him and forcibly kidnapped a female associate.
According to the male victim, the encounter started in Anaheim when the suspect began striking his vehicle. The victims attempted to drive to the Fullerton Police Department for safety, but the suspect followed and intentionally rammed their vehicle twice. After the vehicles entered a cul-de-sac on Dawns Way, the suspect exited his car, vandalized the victim’s vehicle, and assaulted the male driver while threatening to use a firearm. The suspect then turned his attention to the female victim, destroyed her phone, and forced her into his vehicle before driving away.
Approximately one hour later, an officer located the suspect’s vehicle on the shoulder of the 57 Freeway near Ball Road. The suspect fled on foot across the freeway lanes, resulting in a temporary closure and a perimeter search. Following an investigation by Fullerton PD Detectives, Hernandez was located and arrested at approximately 5:30 p.m. in Newport Beach.
Hernandez was booked into the Fullerton City Jail on charges including kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, felony vandalism, and domestic violence.
