California Police Use Drone and BearCat to Rescue Kidnap Victim

The Tracy (California) Police Department reports that it used a drone and an armored rescue vehicle to rescue a kidnap and rape victim on Friday March 22, 2024.

 At around 4:45 p.m., the Tracy Police received information that a kidnapping victim was being held hostage at gunpoint inside a residence, the department said in a press release . 

Patrol officers, detectives with the General Investigations Unit (GIU), the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and other on-duty personnel immediately responded with a BearCat armored vehicle.

Arriving at the location, officers surrounded the residence and then launched a drone to gather intelligence. The drone video showed the officers one of the suspects—identified later as Gerado Tornero-Rosales (26 from Livermore). Tornero-Rosales was seen fleeing out the back of the residence and was immediately captured by officers behind the residence, police say. 

Two other people, Angel Lopez-Gutierrez (24 years old from Oakland, CA) and the reported victim, surrendered to officers at the front of the residence without incident, police say. 

The victim was treated for minor injuries by firefighters and medics. 

Tornero-Rosales and Lopez-Gutierrez were booked into the San Joaquin County Jail for a variety of charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. Lopez-Gutierrez was also charged with “rape by force/fear.”