Man who kidnapped his niece and nephew planned to take them to ‘heaven,’ police say

A man suspected of kidnapping his niece and nephew, with plans to take them to “heaven,” was arrested by Upland police, authorities said.

Police identified the alleged kidnapper as 34-year-old Vartan Gurunian. The children were found unharmed.

The Police Department said in a Facebook post that it received a call for assistance from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Temple Station about a man suspected of kidnapping his niece and nephew from their home.

The mother of the children, ages 4 and 6, told sheriff’s deputies that her brother was unstable and feared he would harm them, the social media post said.

At some point, an Upland police officer saw the man’s four-door silver sedan at Foothill Boulevard and Dewey Way and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Police said the man led officers on a short car chase before they were able to pin him down in a shopping center parking lot.

“At the conclusion of the pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody and spontaneously stated that he wanted to take the children to heaven,” the police statement said. “The children were unharmed, however, they were taken to the hospital as a precaution.”

Upland police posted an edited video on the social platform X that included a clip from an officer’s body cam that showed the moment the officer caught up with the suspect. It also included still photos of the suspect being placed in handcuffs as well as the blurred faces of two kids sitting in the back seat of the silver sedan. At least one image shows an officer walking in the hospital with two Happy Meals.