Undercover Oakland cops witnessed man kidnapping sex worker, police say

OAKLAND A -year-old man has been charged with kidnapping a suspected sex worker in a high-prostitution area an alleged crime witnessed by two local undercover cops court records show Brandon Johnson posted bail for his release from jail on charges of kidnapping He is set to appear in court in late May for a preliminary hearing An undercover detail was working on the block of International Boulevard monitoring suspected prostitution programs when they spotted an early s silver Mercedes make a U-turn and the driver appear to take interest in a group of sex workers on the corner according to to police A man then allegedly hopped out of the car chased down a young woman threw her into the automobile and drove off as she screamed kicked and flailed The undercover cops broadcasted the suspected kidnapping onto a radio channel Another officer tracked down the Mercedes and arrested Johnson officials stated The case occurred April roughly two weeks after Johnson was charged with second degree robbery in an unrelated affair He posted for his release in that situation Johnson also has two prior robbery convictions both from according to the criminal complaint The undercover detail was there that night intending to locate child casualties of human trafficking officers announced As a condition of Johnson s release on bail he has been ordered to avoid parts of Oakland known for prostitution court records show Johnson has pleaded not guilty