Felon Charged With Kidnapping Ex-Girlfriend in Palm Springs

INDIO (CNS) – Kidnapping and other felony charges were filed Tuesday against a convicted felon accused of abducting his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in Palm Springs while out on bail in a separate spousal abuse case. Manuel Tamayo Valadez, 33, of Palm Springs was arrested last Thursday after being on the run for more than a day, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. He is accused of forcing his ex-girlfriend into a car the day before. He allegedly drove her around the Coachella Valley and at one point "fired one round from the weapon while threatening the victim" before she was able to escape in Palm Desert, police said. https://nbcpalmsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/09/kidnapping-suspect-search.mp4 Along with kidnapping, Valadez is charged with one count of making criminal threats and two counts of spousal abuse, all felonies, as well as two misdemeanor charges of wilfully violating a protective order and five sentence- enhancing allegations of committing a crime while out on bail. The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday via video conference from lockup before a judge at the Banning Justice Center. Valadez allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend from an unspecified address in Palm Springs before noon last Wednesday. The duo allegedly drove around the Coachella Valley until Valadez’s car broke down near the Costco in Palm Desert, where the victim was able to escape and call 911, police said. Valadez ran off, according to police, and a manhunt ensued. Palm Springs police tracked him down to a house in the eastern Coachella Valley with the assistance of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team, where he was arrested without incident on Thursday night, police said. At the time of his most recent arrest, Valadez was on bail stemming from an arrest on Sept. 8 in Palm Springs on suspicion of spousal abuse and violating a domestic violence protective order. He was released later that day after making $50,000 bail, jail records show. Police did not specify whether the incidents involved the same victim. Valadez has documented felony convictions in Riverside County including robbery and vehicle theft, court records show.