Modesto man arrested in kidnapping of girlfriend

A Modesto man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping his girlfriend Monday after he allegedly forced her into a car and handcuffed her.

Modesto police were alerted to the incident just before 8 a.m. Monday when a witness reported seeing the handcuffed woman screaming and trying to get out of the car as it entered southbound Highway 99 from Standiford Avenue, said spokeswoman Heather Graves.

She said the woman somehow managed to get away from her boyfriend in Ceres and call police.

The woman told officers she and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Caleb Castellanos, got into an argument and when she tried to walk away from him, he grabbed her and forced her into the car.

She said Castellanos banged her head against the car window several times and put handcuffs on one of her wrists, but she fought him off and escaped before he could cuff the other.

The couple are homeless and often frequent the area of Ninth Street in downtown Modesto, Graves said.

Officers found Castellanos at the Smart & Final store in the 800 block of Ninth Street.

He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment and domestic violence.

This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Modesto man arrested in kidnapping of girlfriend."