On Sunday, April 19, 2026, at approximately 4:09 a.m., the Fullerton Police Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call from a female reporting that a male known to her was attacking her and another individual she was with.
The caller provided her location, S. Acacia Ave. and Dawns Way, and stated that the male attacker was trying to take her against her will. While the dispatcher remained on the line, a struggle was heard before the call went silent. The last sounds heard were a vehicle fleeing, followed by silence, and then responding sirens.
Officers responded within two minutes and quickly located a vehicle leaving the scene. The driver, later identified as the second victim, told officers that during an altercation in which he was assaulted, the suspect forcibly dragged a female victim into his vehicle and fled.
The male victim stated he and the female victim had been sitting in his vehicle in the City of Anaheim when the suspect approached and began striking the vehicle with his hands. Fearing for her safety, the female victim told him to drive to the Fullerton Police Department. As they traveled northbound on Acacia Ave, the suspect intentionally rammed their vehicle. Not knowing the area, the victim continued eastbound onto Dawns Way, entering a cul-de-sac.
The suspect rammed the victim’s vehicle a second time, exited the car, and vandalized the male victim’s vehicle. As the male victim exited his vehicle the male suspect assaulted the victim, demanded his wallet and threatened to retrieve a firearm to kill him. Fearing for his life, the victim armed himself with a hammer to defend himself. The suspect then swung a metal sign at the victim before turning his attention to the female victim.
While still on the phone with the dispatcher, the suspect grabbed the female victim’s phone, threw it to the ground, and forcibly dragged her into his vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Approximately one hour later, a Fullerton Police officer located the suspect vehicle on the shoulder of the 57 Freeway near Ball Rd. in the City of Anaheim. The suspect fled on foot across all lanes of traffic, prompting a perimeter search and the temporary closure of the freeway.
The female victim was located inside the vehicle on the freeway when officers arrived. She was then treated and released.
Fullerton PD Detectives responded to the scene and continued the investigation. Detectives identified a possible location for the suspect. At approximately 5:30 PM, detectives arrested Charles Hernandez, a 42-year-old Anaheim resident, in the City of Newport Beach.
Hernandez was booked at the Fullerton City Jail for multiple charges, including kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, felony vandalism, and domestic violence.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact FPD Crimes Persons Detective N. Valdes at (714) 738-6754. Those wishing to provide information anonymously can call the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1(855) TIP-OCCS or can visit their website at www.p3tips.com/913.
(Note: The female victim was located inside the suspect vehicle on the freeway. Both victims were treated and released on scene).
Potential Legal Penalties Faced by the Suspect
The suspect was booked for several major offenses:
- Kidnapping (Penal Code 207): As a serious felony, “simple” kidnapping is punishable by three, five, or eight years in state prison. If the circumstances are elevated to “aggravated” kidnapping (such as kidnapping during a robbery or carjacking), he could face life in prison with the possibility of parole.
- Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Penal Code 245(a)(1)): This is a “wobbler” offense but is often charged as a felony in violent cases. Felony conviction carries two, three, or four years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
- Criminal Threats (Penal Code 422): Making a threat to kill or cause great bodily injury that results in sustained fear is a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison.
- Domestic Violence (Penal Code 273.5): Willfully inflicting a “traumatic condition” on a person with whom the suspect has a domestic relationship is a felony carrying a sentence of two, three, or four years.
- Felony Vandalism (Penal Code 594): Damaging property (such as the male victim’s vehicle) in an amount exceeding $400 can result in up to three years of incarceration.
Key Legal Implications
- Three Strikes Impact: Both kidnapping and felony assault with a deadly weapon are considered strikes. A conviction for a strike offense typically doubles the base sentence if there is one prior strike, while three strikes can lead to a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life.
- Consecutive Sentencing: A judge may order the suspect to serve sentences for these multiple crimes consecutively (one after the other) rather than concurrently, significantly increasing his total time in custody.
- Victim Status: While both victims were treated and released at the scene, the use of a metal sign as a weapon and the intentional ramming of a vehicle may be used as aggravating factors during sentencing.