[Long] A kid I know got kidnapped at gunpoint last night...

First of all, I live in a city in Western New York. The city has about 35,000 people in it, so this is very rare. Second of all, I sort of knew this kid, and I was friends with his roomate/best friend.


Okay, here's the story...Last night this kid was sitting at his apartment playing poker with his roomate and two other friends. He got a call from a minor acquantence at about 12:30 at night or so, telling him to meet him at a park, because he had something "really cool to show him." So, the kid tells his buddy he'll be back in about 10 minutes, and drives to the park, expecting to see a new car system or something. He gets to the park and starts talking to the guy who called him, when three guys come running out from the woods, and hit him on the head with a shotgun. They then point the shotgun at his head and tell him if he tries anything crazy, they'll kill him. Next, they load him in his car, and drive around the city with him at gunpoint.

About fifteen minutes after the kid left the poker game, his poker buddies get calls, one by one, saying something like, "We have your friend. Bring us 1500 bucks. Meet us at the Donut Connection in fifteen minutes."

Well, needless to say, they're all college kids and don't have the money. So, they called the cops, and told them to meet them at Donut Connection. They headed over there, and as the got there, the abducted kid's car pulls up across the street. Out hops their buddy and fou kids, one holding a shotgun to his head, one pointing a handun at the kids' friends, and the other two yelling at them. They told them to cross the street with the money, or they'd kill him. The friends just told them they weren't going to, and couldn't get the money. Then, the abducted kid told them that he could break into his work and get 1,000 bucks if they didn't kill him, so they jumped into the car and left just before the cops arrived.

The cops got there, and there were tons. SWAT team, three local police departments, state troopers, and highway patrols. They fanned out all over the city, looking for the car. About thirty minutes later, they found him, at the original park he was abducted at, beaten and tied to a tree next to his car. The four guys fled as police pulled up. They caught three, and the kid was able to identify the fourth.


This WAS NOT about drugs. It was simply some scumbags wanting to score some cash. That's the sad part. The other bad part is that, during the day, while the two roomates were at college, the same kids broke in and stole EVERYTHING in their apartment. Even my friend's cologne. Very sad for college students.


I got all this information from my friend(the roomate), who SHOWED UP to school today, after being at the police station from 1 A.M. to A.M., and getting no sleep. His excuse was that he missed class the day before.


Anyways, very scary for such a small town. I'm very proud of my friends.

 

He was treated and released for minor injuries (not sure what) last night at the hospital. He's staying with his mom now. Definitely wasn't at school today.

 

If you're talking about reprocussions from the kidnapee side, that is a negative. The two roomates are very nice kids, who would never get involved with anything of that sort.

As for the kidnappers getting revenge...hopefully, they should be in jail for a long time. In the newspaper it only said they were being charged with minor things (unlawful imprisonment, etc.), with more charges to follow. After the assault and attempted murder charges(and things of that sort...which better get added) get tacked on, they should be in jail for a good, long while.

 

Talked to both the kids this morning on my way into school. The abducted looked kind of bad, but nothing too serious. His face was a little swollen and scabbed over, but he said he was alright. I asked my friend how he was doing sleepwise, and he said that they're staying at the abducted's mother's house, and that he tossed and turned all night, worrying someone was going to break into the house through a sliding glass door on the back of the house. That sucks.