Pierce student kidnapped, robbed

Antonio Hernandez and Natalie Yemenidjian

An unidentified Pierce College student was robbed and kidnapped in front of Pierce College Wednesday afternoon while walking to his car on Winnetka Avenue.

The male victim, believed to be 25 to 30 years old, was approached by three male suspects who forced him into his vehicle at gunpoint and drove him to Washington Mutual Bank at Topanga Canyon and Ventura Boulevards.

The suspects forced the victim to withdraw money from the bank. The gun, officers discovered later in a garbage can, was found to be a toy gun. The Pierce student was not injured.

A citizen noticed the commotion and immediately called the police.

“Within one minute, police were on the scene,” said Lt Steven Sanbar of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“The concerned citizen… started chasing one of the suspects, caught up to him and immediately the suspect was apprehended by the officers,” said Sanbar.

Then, the LAPD set up a three- to four-square-block perimeter to search for the other two suspects who were later apprehended.

“We were convinced that we did not have two of the suspects in custody. We thought that maybe they got out of our perimeter,” said Sanbar. “However, as we were breaking down the search and starting to leave, two other individuals came out of the general area and were taken into custody.”

Two of the male suspects are believed to be twins and minors, according to Police.