A man was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in state prison for kidnapping a woman in 2016 from an Exposition Park convenience store and trying to kill her.
Jose Caro, 33, pleaded no contest on Friday to one felony count each of attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to commit a felony, criminal threats and stalking, and to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
On Sept. 28, 2016, Caro entered a store in Exposition Park and dragged the female clerk out by her hair and forced her into his vehicle. He had allegedly been stalking her for some time.
Caro threatened to kill the 28-year-old woman several times and held a knife to her throat and tried to swing a hammer at her, the DA’s Office said in the news release.
Caro then drove the woman to a North Hollywood cemetery before she managed to escape two hours later.
Officers had responded to a silent alarm that went off at a convenience store. They later arrested Caro after a brief pursuit.
The woman was found safe after escaping from Caro’s car in the North Hollywood cemetery about two hours later. She was able to alert her family and was taken to a hospital.
Surveillance video later released by authorities showed the woman being shoved into Caro’s car outside of the store as she tried to escape his grip.
Police believed Caro had been following the victim for weeks trying to find her address and even sent flowers to the home of someone he thought she was related to, the Los Angeles Police Department, told KTLA at the time.