Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

At approximately 6:44 p.m. [on Sept. 15], Eureka Police Department patrol officers responded to a report of a reckless driver traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour within the US Highway 101/South safety corridor.

During the incident, the passenger—who also owned the vehicle—requested the driver to pull over and let them exit due to the dangerous driving behavior. The driver refused, effectively detaining the passenger against their will while continuing to drive recklessly. When the vehicle eventually stopped near 4th and R Streets, the passenger was able to exit. The driver then fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle.

Officers located the suspect a short time later near the 3300 block of Broadway and conducted a traffic enforcement stop. The driver, identified as 35-year-old Abdul-Rahman Ahmed Omar of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was ultimately taken into custody for kidnapping, false imprisonment, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Within the vehicle, officers recovered a pistol loaded with a high-capacity magazine.

Omar was transported and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for multiple felony charges.

To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation, further details are not currently being released.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Eureka Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) at 707-441-4300.