Suspect accused of kidnapping car salesman arrested

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- Police arrested a suspect accused of kidnapping a car salesman during a test drive in Concord.

Police say the man wanted to test drive a Cadillac SRX, so Lehmer's dealership made a copy of his driver's license before he left with the car and salesman.

The tone changed after the man test drove it to a home in Pittsburg. The incident ended with a police chase and crash in Antioch. "The salesman went to his house and his 3-year old son was running around the car saying, 'daddy it's got TVs, it's got leather,' I don't know kind of weird," Lehmer's Sales Manager Peter Benjamin said.

Lehmers sales associates say the test drive turned into a crime after the customer left his home and became threatening. "The gentleman basically turned to him and said, 'hey we aren't going back to the dealership you're coming with me' and the salesman was like, 'no we need to get back to the dealership,' and the guy is like 'no' and grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the passenger window of the car, so of course the salesman was freaked out and the guy was hitting high speeds and driving crazy. I believe he smashed two cars," Benjamin said.

When heavy traffic forced the driver to stop, the salesman jumped out of the car, then ran away and called police.

Finding the stolen car wasn't hard. "OnStar located the car and boom swarmed in. That's the best thing about the GMC product," Benjamin said

The van appears totaled, but the victim is going to be OK. "He was just shocked, real shaken up. My General Sales Manager Carl Rogers actually went to go pick him up himself. You could tell he was real frazzled," Benjamin said.

The victim is expected to look at a police line-up for investigators.