8 arrested after officers storm Reseda house in high-risk rescue of kidnap victim
Eight people were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 24-year-old man after SWAT officers and detectives made a high-risk rescue Tuesday afternoon at a Reseda home, police said.
Members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division had the house in the 18300 block of Schoolcraft Street under surveillance after an attempt to deliver a ransom to the kidnappers failed.
The detectives, with SWAT officers, chose to storm the home after kidnappers warned the family that they were going to kill the man, Cmdr. Pat Gannon said.
“We successfully rescued him. We took seven men and a woman in custody for his kidnapping,” Gannon said.
The kidnap victim was injured during the ordeal and was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
He had been kidnapped sometime Monday afternoon after leaving his San Fernando Valley home, police said. His parents received a ransom call about 7 p.m. at their home.
“The kidnappers told them their son had been kidnapped and if they wanted to see him alive, they would have a certain amount of time to get the money together for his ransom,” Gannon said.
Almost immediately, police were contacted and the LAPD’s kidnapping experts began to chase leads to the location where the victim was being held. Gannon said in the hours that followed, the family received several calls from the kidnappers and communications from their son.
In addition to the eight accused kidnappers, investigators detained two other people they considered witnesses to the crime, Gannon said.
Police said it was unclear if the kidnappers have a gang affiliation.
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