Suspect with child arrested in connection to Salinas carjacking

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A man has been arrested on carjacking and child endangerment charges after an incident Monday afternoon.

At around 1:40 p.m., police responded to a report of a carjacking in the 0 to 100 block of W. Acacia Street, and the victim said he was in his vehicle when he was approached by the suspect, who had a small child with him.

The suspect told the victim that he needed the vehicle because of an emergency, but when the victim did not respond, he pulled out a knife, according to police. The victim said he feared for his safety, so he got out.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Andrew Ramirez, headed west on Acacia with the child in the vehicle, but was found about 15 minutes later on Reservation Road near Imjin Parkway.

Marina police said they tried to stop the suspect, but he led them on a short chase before eventually stopping.

Ramirez was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail. The child was not injured and was released to family members.