Commerce kidnapping suspect identified

COMMERCE - A Commerce man arrested for the alleged kidnapping of a woman last week has been formally charged.

26-year-old Christopher Bernard Alex faces one count of abandoning/endangering a child with imminent danger of bodily injury and one felony count of kidnapping. He’s also been charged with unlawful restraint with exposure to serious bodily injury and evading arrest/detention with a vehicle. Total bond was set at $45,000.

Alex is alleged to have forced a woman into his car along Maple Avenue and then sped away from police. During the subsequent pursuit, he released the woman unharmed and left the car.  A manhunt ensued and Alex was captured after a brief foot pursuit and search of a wooded area.

Records indicate Alex previously served a term in prison for armed robbery in 2003.