Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Four tourists from Northern California were victims of kidnapping and assault committed by three armed men who followed them from a restaurant in the Beverly Grove area to an Airbnb in Coldwater Canyon on Wednesday morning.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) classified as a kidnapping what had initially been indicated as a robbery at a residence in Beverly Crest.
The victims were stripped of clothing and jewelry for an estimated value of $80,000 Dollars.
Reports say that the victims left a restaurant and observed that a luxury SUV was following them, so they did not go directly to the Airbnb they were occupying. They decided to continue driving until they considered that they had already lost the suspicious SUV, so they returned to their rental residence.
When the four tourists parked and got out of their car in the driveway of the Airbnb, were surprised by the three armed subjects .
The thieves stole their belongings, but later took them at gunpoint into the residence
.
“It is alarming because the victims were forced to enter a residence where they were taken from a safer place, in full view from the public, to a residence, which makes this a much more serious offense. It is a kidnapping, which, when we catch them, this would be punishable by up to life in prison,” said Detective Chris Marsden.
None of the four tourists was injured in the incident .
The three suspects were described as male among 19 and 25 years.
The authorities said that there are no indications that the crime is related to gangs, but it occurred after a warning from the LAPD last week that about 20 gangs were following people to their homes and robbing residents of wealthy neighborhoods.
The Police Department of Los Angeles reported that more than 250 similar incidents have occurred During last year.
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