Dakota Valkyrie
July 1st, 2009, 10:27 AM
A man who police say accused three children of vandalizing his car was arrested Tuesday after investigators say he tried to recoup the cost of repairing his vehicle by kidnapping the children and holding them for ransom.
[...]
Juan Lopez, 21, and a 15-year-old juvenile were reportedly upset that graffiti was spray-painted on their vehicle a few days earlier. The car owners believed three children, all between 9 and 11 years old, were responsible, Snyder said.
After finding and forcing the first child into the car, the alleged kidnappers forced the boy to tell them where the other two were. Those two were also located and either choked or dragged into the vehicle by their necks, Snyder said.
Once in the car, one of the children called his mother on his cell phone. The mother talked to the alleged kidnappers, who demanded $1,000 for the cost of fixing the car in exchange for the release of the children.
The mother told them she didn't have the money and called police after hanging up, according to Snyder.
When police arrived at the woman's house, an officer called the cell phone and talked to Lopez, persuading him to turn around and return to where he took the first child, Snyder said. The car owner may not have realized the severity of the crime he was committing, according to police.
The total time the children were detained was believed to have been less than an hour, according to Snyder.
[...]
While in the police car, Lopez became upset and started kicking its windows, prompting officers to pull him out, Salt Lake Police Lt. Melody Gray said. Lopez was struggling as he was pulled out and he hit his head on the ground. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment but was released shortly afterward, according to Gray.
Lopez was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and the juvenile who was with him, who is Lopez's cousin, was booked into juvenile detention, both for suspicion of three counts of child kidnapping.http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705314005/3-children-kidnapped-in-dispute-over-a-car.html
Did they think this would really work? His temper tantrum really added the cherry to top it off.
[...]
Juan Lopez, 21, and a 15-year-old juvenile were reportedly upset that graffiti was spray-painted on their vehicle a few days earlier. The car owners believed three children, all between 9 and 11 years old, were responsible, Snyder said.
After finding and forcing the first child into the car, the alleged kidnappers forced the boy to tell them where the other two were. Those two were also located and either choked or dragged into the vehicle by their necks, Snyder said.
Once in the car, one of the children called his mother on his cell phone. The mother talked to the alleged kidnappers, who demanded $1,000 for the cost of fixing the car in exchange for the release of the children.
The mother told them she didn't have the money and called police after hanging up, according to Snyder.
When police arrived at the woman's house, an officer called the cell phone and talked to Lopez, persuading him to turn around and return to where he took the first child, Snyder said. The car owner may not have realized the severity of the crime he was committing, according to police.
The total time the children were detained was believed to have been less than an hour, according to Snyder.
[...]
While in the police car, Lopez became upset and started kicking its windows, prompting officers to pull him out, Salt Lake Police Lt. Melody Gray said. Lopez was struggling as he was pulled out and he hit his head on the ground. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment but was released shortly afterward, according to Gray.
Lopez was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and the juvenile who was with him, who is Lopez's cousin, was booked into juvenile detention, both for suspicion of three counts of child kidnapping.http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705314005/3-children-kidnapped-in-dispute-over-a-car.html
Did they think this would really work? His temper tantrum really added the cherry to top it off.