A man suspected of kidnapping his niece and nephew, with plans to take them to “heaven,” was arrested by Upland police, authorities said.
Police identified the alleged kidnapper as 34-year-old Vartan Gurunian. The children were found unharmed.
The police department said in a Facebook post that they received a call for assistance from the LA County Sheriff’s Temple Station about a man suspected of kidnapping his niece and nephew from their home.
The mother of the children, ages 4 and 6, told sheriff’s deputies her brother was unstable and feared he would hurt them, the social media post said.
At some point, an Upland police officer spotted the man’s four-door silver sedan at Foothill Boulevard and Dewey Way and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Police said the man led officers on a short car chase before they were able to pin him down in a shopping center parking lot.
“At the end of the pursuit, the suspect was apprehended and spontaneously stated that he wanted to take the children to heaven,” the police statement said. “The children were unharmed, but they were taken to hospital as a precaution.”
Upland police posted an edited video on social media platform X that included a clip from an officer’s body camera showing the moment police caught up with the suspect. It also included still images of the suspect being placed in handcuffs as well as the blurred faces of two children sitting in the back seat of the silver sedan. At least one picture shows a police officer walking into the hospital with two happy meals.