A man died in a standoff with authorities in Bakersfield after he allegedly shot a pregnant woman to death and abducted his 2-year-old son, triggering an Amber Alert late Sunday, officials said.
Officers found the two-year-old safe before the standoff, and the woman’s baby was being treated at a hospital, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
The series of events unfolded when deputies responded to a call about a shooting victim at a residence in the 7800 block of Florence Street in Lamont at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers arrived to find a woman, later identified as 34-year-old Audreyanna Rivera, suffering from a gunshot wound, the Sheriff’s Office said. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The baby survived and remained at the hospital, the Sheriff’s Office announced later Monday.
Around the time deputies responded to the Lamont home, investigators requested an Amber Alert for a 2-year-old boy “related to the case,” said the Sheriff’s Office, which offered no information about the child’s relationship to Rivera.
Just after 11 p.m., the California Highway Patrol issued an alert on behalf of the Sheriff’s Office, saying that 36-year-old Javier Vidal abducted his 2-year-old son Elias Vidal.
The two were last seen at around 8:30 p.m. in Lamont, the alert said, adding that the father should be considered armed and dangerous. CHP also released information about a 2003 Mitsubishi involved in the alleged abduction.
The Sheriff’s Office said the boy was found safe at 11:10 p.m. but did not disclose a location.
At 11:35 p.m., authorities said Vidal was discovered with the vehicle in the 2900 block of Taft Highway in Bakersfield, about 9 miles away from the Lamont home where the woman was shot.
“Deputies arriving on scene were confronted with gunfire from the suspect. The SWAT Team responded, and over the period of a few hours, gunfire was exchanged,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Vidal died in the shooting at around 4 a.m., according to the agency. No law enforcement officers suffered any injuries.
Authorities provided no further details about the case but asked anyone with information to call the Sheriff’s Office at 661-861-3110 or the “secret witness line” at 661-322-4040 and refer to case number 2020-00054387.
