Kidnapping victim found tied up in backseat after police stop wrong-way driver in Olympia
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Officers who pulled over a wrong-way driver in Olympia early Sunday morning found a kidnapping victim bound in the backseat.
According to Olympia Police, it happened about 12:45 a.m. on State Avenue NE. The officer stopped the vehicle near the Hand's On Children's Museum.
There were three people in the car, the driver in the front seat and two others in the backseat, police said.
The officer found that one of the people in the backseat had his hands tied behind his back with zip-ties. He told investigators that he was a pizza delivery driver and that he'd been kidnapped and was being held at gunpoint.
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The driver, 20-year-old John Medina, and the backseat passenger, 19-year-old Daniel Cano-Real, were arrested at the scene. Police said they found a semi-automatic pistol, a knife with the blade exposed, a wad of cash and the victim's wallet in the vehicle.
The two suspects are military service members at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Representatives for JBLM issued the following statement:
"We are aware of the arrest of two Service Members on March 28th. Both service members are assigned to I Corps, with duty at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide Olympia Police Department with any assistance they require from us."
Police went back to the home where the victim said he was kidnapped and found the driver's vehicle in some bushes.
The victim told police he delivered a pizza on Devoe Street and was blocked in by a silver vehicle as he backed out.
That's when a man wearing a mask and waving a gun told the driver to get out of his vehicle. He complied, and one of the two men drove his car into the bushes.
"Just hearing about this, it’s just sad," said Kodi Halberstadt, whose friend lives near the crime scene. "I would never do that to somebody. You need to treat them with respect. All those young drivers that are working be careful on the roads."
One of the suspects, Cano-Real, later told police that they had the idea to commit a robbery while they were at a hookah lounge in Tacoma. Court documents said one of the guns was reported stolen.
The Domino's delivery driver was not injured. Both suspects are facing charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery. A judge set bail at $150,000 for each of them.
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