COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Franklin County grand jury has indicted eight men on kidnapping and assault charges after a central Ohio mother and daughter were kidnapped at gunpoint from their car.
The incident happened Monday, December 14 on Morse Road near Easton Mall. The mother, daughter and boyfriend were driving around 6:30 p.m.when two cars approached from behind.
"They blocked them off and took some shots." said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.
O'Brien said one bullet hit the family's vehicle. As the boyfriend fled, the mother and daughter were placed into separate cars by their kidnappers. They were taken to a house on the city's southwest side. Inside, the abductors allegedly called the boyfriend to demand a ransom.
"Luckily, the Columbus police were immediately on the case and were able to have SWAT determine the location where the victims were being held," O'Brien said.
Police traced the call and SWAT officers later secured the release of the mother and daughter from the house.
The eight men arrested were Guadalupe Villa-Rodriguez, Martin Valdez Zabala, Mauricio M. Martinez, Simon Cazeras Medina, Ruben Bladera-Solano, Jorge Toledo-Corzo, Augustin Galvan-Garcia Jr., and Matias Gellegos-Villagomez.
They remain in jail awaiting an arraignment next week. The eight men all face two counts of kidnapping and three felonious assault charges. They are thought to be in the United States illegallly. Villa-Rodriguez also faces three charges of gross sexual imposition for allegedly touching the mother during the abduction.
The case could be transferred to federal court as Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, known as ICE, may get involved.
"It's alleged that they have been deported in the past and have returned to the country after deportation," O'Brien told NBC4.
O'Brien said he could not specify the motive for the kidnapping, as investigators are still examining how the accused knew the victims.
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