Taft Police and the United States Postal Service are investigating the kidnapping and robbery of a mail truck driver in Taft  early Friday evening.

Sources familiar with the case said the truck driver was accosted by an armed man who jumped into the cab of the truck at the intersection of Highway 119 and E. Kern Street shortly before 6 p.m.

The victim was forced to drive to the east end of the old West Side Hospital complex on East North Street where the truck was parked between two buildings.
The suspect fled with several bags containing cash, the sources said.

It was not determined just how much cash was taken.

The driver was not harmed.

Taft Police officers handled the initial investigation and Postal Inspectors were called in because the crime involved a USPS vehicle.

Only one suspect was seen.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male armed with an automatic or semiautomatic weapon, according to police broadcasts.