The CHP officer who arrested the suspect said it might not have happened that day if not for an anonymous tipster. Russell Gonzales says he is no hero just a neighbor who tried to help a little girl in trouble.
"The night before when that first happened on the news you know that little girl got abducted was kind of like it hits home. I got a granddaughter that's six so it's kind of like you know you feel bad hope that they'd find her."
Russell Gonzales' concern for the eight year old continued the next morning. He delayed going to work instead staying glued to the TV as police released surveillance video of the suspect's truck.
Minutes later while driving to work he spotted it at the intersection of Shields and Millbrook in East Central Fresno.
"I'm thinking in my mind whoa is it that truck? I'm in this kind of a, one of those things you don't know if it is or not you know. But I said its worth, you got to get involved. It's worth the chance just to see what is going on. Because I don't know if they caught them or not." said Gonzales.
At this point Gonzales did not know that Victor Perez had already thwarted Gregory Gonzalez' plans by cutting him off and rescuing the kidnapped girl. The granite counter-top construction worker followed the suspect anyway into a nearby church parking lot.
"As he pulled in, as I pulled in behind him, he was like in the middle of the parking lot kind of going slow. When he went in all the way to the end but I thought he was boxed in because there was no where to go." said Gonzales.
But the suspect managed to get away by going around a canal embankment and climbing over a fence before taking off. And that's when he called 911. CHP officer Dustin Dimmer was the first to arrive on scene.
"I really credit that highway patrolman. He was really into his job when I talked to him. And to me that impressed me because you know sometimes you know they don't, one ear and out the other some other law enforcement but this guy was determined to do his job." said Gonzales.
Gonzales felt like his job was done. So he went on to work only to find out from his wife and co-workers that Officer Dimmer arrested the suspect. Now looking back he admits things felt like a whirlwind during the moments leading up to the chase.
"A lot of things are going through your mind but you really don't know what you're really going to do until it's actually right there you know?" said Gonzales.
The father of four says he still takes the same route to work everyday despite the reminder along the way.
"I still look down that way just I don't know. It's just always going to be in my mind what that guy was going you know? Driving by that way." said Gonzales.
Gonzales says Victor Perez deserves all the credit he's received thus far. He also says he'd like to meet Officer Dimmer again.
