WATSONVILLE — A 41-year-old delivery truck driver reportedly kidnapped at knifepoint purposely crashed his vehicle into a downtown light pole to escape, according to police.
The driver had stopped at a gas station when a man, identified by police as Joshua Barcelo, 33, allegedly approached him before 5 a.m. Saturday and demanded a ride, according to a Watsonville Police Department social media post and the department’s crime log. The driver traveled for about a mile before intentionally crashing into a pole near Ford and Main streets because, he told police, “he feared for his life because Barcelo had taken out what appeared to be a knife,” according to the post.
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Barcelo allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot and later was detained by Watsonville officers. No one was injured in the crash, according to police.
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against Barcelo of kidnapping and robbery, with special enhancements for use of weapons and violent felonies. According to Santa Cruz County Superior Court records, Barcelo was on probation for a domestic violence conviction at the time of his arrest. Barcelo was scheduled for arraignment on the charges Thursday.