Kidnap suspect engages California police in shootout, teen still missing

LOS ALAMOS, Calif. — Authorities say a 19-year-old man led officers in a high-speed chase in Southern California before stopping and getting into s shootout with them.

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-year-old girl he is suspected of abducting from Northern California has not been found.

The sheriff’s department says Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies spotted Fernando Castro driving in Los Alamos, 140 miles northwest of Los Angeles, about 4 p.m. Thursday. After a brief chase, Castro stopped and engaged in a shootout with deputies.

No other details were provided. The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department didn’t return a call.

Castro is suspected of abducting Pearl Pinson in Vallejo on Wednesday morning. Vallejo is about 300 miles north of where Castro was spotted Thursday.

A witness heard a gunshot then Pinson scream for help and saw a young man dragging her across a freeway overpass. The witness said Pinson was bleeding from the face and her kidnapper was carrying a handgun.

The California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert on Thursday asking motorists to be on the lookout for a gold 1997 Saturn sedan in which Solano County authorities think the girl may have been transported.

The Solano Sheriff’s Office fears Pinson could be in grave danger based on what the witness told deputies transpired on the pedestrian overpass in Vallejo that morning.

Deputies found what appeared to be blood on the overpass. Pinson has not been seen since the incident.

Pinson was wearing a gray sweater and black leggings and had her brown hair dyed green when she went missing.