Two Santa Maria men linked to crimes locally have been arrested in Kern County after allegedly attempting to kidnap a truck driver at knife point.
The incident occurred on Sunday in Maricopa, where the suspects allegedly demanded a truck driver transport them to Bakersfield, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver got into her truck and drove off without injury, and later contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.
The suspects, Moses Abeytia, 20, and Feliciano Ramirez, 21, were located in Maricopa and arrested, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Abeytia refused to give his name to deputies and Ramirez provided a false name, Kern County deputies said.
The pair were booked into the Kern County Jail on suspicion of attempted kidnapping and multiple misdemeanor charges.
Kern County officials later learned Abeytia had a warrant for his arrest for an attempted murder in Santa Maria.
Ramirez also has been identified as a person of interest in a Santa Maria incident.
Hours before the Kern County incident, Santa Maria police investigated an armed carjacking on the 200 block of Lolita Lane, along with a triple stabbing on the 400 block of North Railroad Avenue.
One stabbing victim was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, but injuries to all three victims reportedly were non-life-threatening.
Both the stabbing and carjacking remain under investigation, and police said Wednesday detectives were attempting to determine how the two men arrested in Kern County might be connected to the Santa Maria incidents.
Abeytia remained in custody of the Kern County Jail with bail set above $1 million, but there was no record for Ramirez.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.