Investigators have arrested two men in connection with a terrifying kidnapping and robbery in Culver City earlier this month.
The violence, according to a news release from the Culver City Police Department, unfolded on May 13 as the victim, described only as a male, was leaving a business in the 3800 block of Midway Avenue, near Venice Boulevard when he was ordered at gunpoint by a suspect to get inside a silver SUV.
The gunman and another suspect drove the victim to an unidentified bank on Palms Boulevard and forced the man to make several cash withdrawals.
“After attempting to obtain additional funds through a loan from a friend, the suspects drove the victim back to the bank for further ATM withdrawals,” investigators said.
The thieves, who made off with less than $600, dumped the victim in a nearby residential area, with a warning not to contact law enforcement.
A short time later, the man walked into the Culver City Police Department to report the kidnapping and robbery.
Detectives immediately initiated an investigation which ultimately led to the identification of two suspects, now identified as 23-year-old Washington state resident Franzezo Dumitru and 21-year-old New York state resident Stan Eduardo, both of whom investigators believed to be approximately 40 miles away in the Castaic area.
“On May 27, Culver City Crime Impact Team Detectives responded to the Castaic area and located the suspects’ vehicle parked at a local motel,” officials said. “At approximately 11:20 a.m., two individuals matching the suspects’ descriptions were spotted and detained in a high-risk traffic stop at the Newhall Ranch Road offramp on Interstate 5.”
Investigators did not provide any information on possible evidence recovered on the suspects, in their vehicle or out of their hotel room, but said they were booked into the Culver City Jail for kidnapping for ransom and robbery.
It is also unclear if the two men have committed similar crimes in Southern California.
Both men have since been officially charged by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, officials said.
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