PROVIDENCE – An armed Rhode Island man wanted for allegedly kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Providence early Thursday morning was arrested by police in Connecticut, where the victim was found unharmed, officials said.
Angel Martinez, 23, of Providence, was apprehended at a rest area along Interstate 95 southbound in Madison, Conn., Connecticut State Police said in a statement.
Providence police initially responded to Crimea Street around 12:13 a.m. Thursday for a report of a person with a gun, according to Josh Estrella, a City Hall spokesperson.
“Upon arrival, a witness told officers that a male threatened his ex-girlfriend with a gun, forcibly took her and fled in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee,” Estrella wrote in an email on Friday.
According to Connecticut authorities, a “be on the lookout broadcast” was issued, alerting police around 1:55 a.m. to watch for a grey Jeep with Rhode Island registration plates.
Dispatchers advised troopers the vehicle was pinged in the Madison area, and the vehicle was found stopped at a rest area, with a man and woman inside, police said.
The driver was identified as Martinez, who was asked to leave the vehicle, and the passenger was identified as the victim in the alleged kidnapping, officials said.
“Upon asking Martinez if there were any weapons in the vehicle, Martinez explained that there was a firearm on the floor behind the front passenger seat in a bag,” police said. “Troopers observed a handgun case in plain view on the floor behind the front passenger seat, as well as a bag right next to the case. A loaded 9mm handgun was subsequently located within the bag.”
Martinez was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and as a fugitive from justice.
“The victim was unharmed, and detectives are investigating,” Estrella wrote.
Martinez was ultimately held on a $250,000 bond for the fugitive charge and $5,000 bond for the other charges. He was scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on Thursday and is currently awaiting extradition, records show.
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