Man, 24, Escapes from Trunk During Kidnapping

The four suspects who allegedly beat the victim and stole his car back in June are still at large, officials said

A 24-year-old man who was allegedly assaulted, bound with duct tape, kidnapped and shoved into the trunk of his own car managed to escape his suspected assailants, according to officials.

The incident – classified by investigators as a kidnapping and auto theft – happened several months ago, but the San Diego Sheriff’s Department’s Lemon Grove station just released the information on Monday.

According to detectives, the victim was assaulted by four people at a home in Spring Valley on June 16. The assailants allegedly bound the man with duct tape and placed him in the trunk of his Toyota Camry.

The victim was then driven to San Ysidro. During the drive he managed to free himself from the duct tape and release the trunk latch. Once the car stopped, he escaped. He found himself at a San Ysidro gas station where he then asked the clerk to call 911.

The suspects did not see the victim escape and drove away in the stolen Toyota Camry.

When officials arrived at the gas station, they discovered the victim had sustained multiple abrasions and bruises as a result of the alleged beating and kidnapping.

The victim told investigators that earlier in the day he was hanging out with a group of people he had met three days earlier. He knew those people as “Red” – or possibly Jordan – Vanessa, Giovanni and Ricky or Ritchie.

Eventually, the group ended up at a home in Spring Valley. There, they got into a fight and the four acquaintances beat him up, wrapped him in duct tape and forced him into the trunk of his car.

Nearly four months later, detectives have not yet located the victim’s stolen vehicle or the suspects.

Deputies describe the vehicle as a black, 1992, four-door Toyota Camry with the California license plate 6HQC712.

The assault suspects are described as follows: “Red,” or Jordan, is about 21 year old, 6-foot-3 with a thin build. He may be white mixed with Hispanic and has red hair, green eyes and freckles. The suspect known as Giovanni is about 25 years old, approximately 5-foot-6, with brown hair and light complexion.

The third suspect, known as Ricky or Ritchie, is a Hispanic male with black hair, 5-foot-8 with a stocky build. He may have a lazy eye, according to the victim. The female suspect is about 21 years old, 5-foot-7, with a thin build. She has long brown hair, brown eyes and is known by the victim as Vanessa.

A blurry image of Red and Ritchie (pictured below) was captured on surveillance tape.

The case remains under investigation. Officials are asking anyone with information on the suspects to call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.

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