San Mateo Kidnapping Suspect Arrested Months After Incident: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — San Mateo police arrested a felon on a $2.5 million arrest warrant on suspicion of a March kidnapping near Fiesta Meadows Park.

Arnell Clark, a 42-year-old transient, was arrested Tuesday after an investigation that spanned several months. Clark was initially pursued by police on Mar. 10 after failing to yield while traveling northbound on Highway 101, according to the San Mateo Police Department. He exited his car on foot near Highway 92 and Hillsdale Boulevard before entering an occupied vehicle, holding a knife to the driver’s stomach and forcing her to drive to San Mateo Medical Center, police claimed.

Police said Clark ended up in the creek between Hillsdale Boulevard and 36th Avenue and submerged himself into the creek, where officers lost him.

Clark was arrested on Tuesday shortly before 1 a.m. by the San Francisco Police Department. In addition to kidnapping, he was charged with reckless evading a police officer, stolen vehicle, recovering a stolen vehicle and receiving stolen property.

Clark also had an outstanding arrest warrant on suspicion of a probation violation for disabling his ankle monitor and failing to check in with his probation officer. He was also facing a third strike, according to the San Mateo Police Department, making him eligible for life in prison if convicted.