Fairfield man arrested in connection with attempted kidnapping

Police in Fairfield on Thursday arrested a man in connection with an attempted kidnapping.

Josiah Washington, 19, of Fairfield, was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, attempted kidnapping and on a weapons violation, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

On Feb. 3, a man approached a woman in the driveway of her apartment complex in the 200 block of East Alaska Avenue and claimed he was a security officer from a local business.

Police said the man told the victim she was suspected of a crime, and he demanded she return to the business with him.

When she refused, the man pointed a handgun at her and tried to pull her toward his car.

The victim was able to get away, and the suspect fled the area. On Feb. 21, investigators posted photos of the suspect on the Fairfield Police Department’s Facebook page, and police identified Washington as the suspect in the attempted kidnapping the next day, according to the police department.

When Washington learned he was a suspect in the case, he contacted the police department.

He told investigators he was at a business in the 2400 block of North Texas Street when he witnessed what he believed to be a theft committed by a victim.

He said he had experience as a loss prevention officer and took it upon himself to conduct a citizen’s arrest.

During the incident, he brandished a pellet gun, but he ended up fleeing in his vehicle when the victim fought back.