29 Palms kidnapping suspect arrested after evading police for three days
A man was arrested Thursday after he stole two cars and kidnapped and tried to rob an individual, according to a press release from theMorongo Basin Sheriff’s Station.
Joseph Lampkin, 30, of Twentynine Palms kidnapped an unnamed victim at gunpoint Tuesday night and drove the person to nearby banks, where he tried to withdraw money from the victim’s accounts. Somehow, the victim managed to escape, and reported the incident to the police.
It wasn’t until Thursday, at around 1:20 a.m., that Lampkin wasspotteddriving a stolen 2004 Infiniti G35 in the area of El Paseo Drive and Mesquite Springs Road as deputies tried to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation. Lampkin fled the vehicle on foot and was able to elude capture.
Later that day, at 11:53 a.m., Lampkin was seen driving another stolen vehicle, this time a brown 1998 Mazda Protege, in the area Buena Vista Drive and Mojave Avenue. Lampkin was successfully taken into custody without incident.
Lampkin is believed to be responsible for several burglaries and robberies in the City of Twentynine Palms over the last week. He was booked into the Morango Basil Jail with bail set at $1,000,000.
