Prosecutors announce charges against man seen kidnapping and beating store clerk with hammer

A man seen on a convenience store security camera kidnapping the clerk as she tries to fight him off in Exposition Park has been charged with a host of felonies and faces life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said Friday.

Jose Eduardo Gaxiola Caro, 29, was armed with a hammer when he grabbed the woman and dragged her out of the store to his idling car Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The midday abduction triggered an intense manhunt this week. Los Angeles police responded about 2:50 p.m. to a silent alarm at the store in the 3900 block of Denker Avenue and discovered that the 28-year-old woman had just been kidnapped, Los Angeles Police Department officials aid.

Video shows the man tugging the woman by her arms as she tries to pull away. A postal worker was shown walking into the store at the same time, stepping over the woman’s foot and then setting down letters on a store counter.

Outside the store, the woman fights back as he tries to shove her into his red Honda Civic.

The man manages to open the car door and push her into the passenger seat. Police say he hit her several times.

After forcing the woman into his Honda, he drove off south on Denker Avenue, police said.

But the woman, who did not know Caro, managed to escape. She was found at a cemetery in North Hollywood and taken to an area hospital for medical evaluation.

Police were still looking for Caro, who reportedly had been stalking the clerk, when she was found.

Officers later spotted his car in North Hollywood, police spokeswoman Liliana Preciado said. When he failed to stop, a police pursuit began and ended when the driver crashed.

Caro resisted arrest, and officers used a Taser to take him into custody, police said.

He is charged with attempted premeditated murder, kidnapping to commit rape, assault with intent to commit rape, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, stalking and fleeing police. He is also accused of using a knife and a hammer in the crime.

Timesstaff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.

Joseph.serna@latimes.com

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