Two Arkansas City men claim they were playing a joke on another man and woman when they put on masks, hid in the couple’s car and then allegedly kidnapped them at knifepoint.
The victims – who police now know shared an apartment with the suspects – aren’t laughing and insist nothing the suspects did or said indicated they were joking, according to the Ark City police department. The four are Guatemalans and working in the United States.
Officers had responded to a call from 925 W. Skyline – the Meadow Walk apartments – at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A language problem complicated the situation but police learned someone had been injured but could not find the victim.
While still at the apartments, a traffic accident was reported in the 1600 block of W. Ash Avenue. A car had struck the rock wall that surrounds Riverview Cemetery.
Both victims were still at the scene. The man had a knife wound to his hand. He said they shopped at Wal-Mart and were leaving when they found two masked men in their car.
They claim they were held at knifepoint as they left the parking lot. The male victim struggled with one suspect and jumped out of the car. He ran to his residence. The suspects and female victim drove away and then crashed into the rock wall a few minutes later, according to a press release.
After viewing Wal-Mart video and interviewing the victims, police learned that the suspects were possibly roommates of the victims. The suspects were eventually located back at the apartment, and taken to the police station to be interviewed.
One suspect finally admitted that the two suspects “had only done this to play a joke on the victims,” the press release states.
They were arrested and booked into the county jail on a variety of charges including aggravated burglary and battery, kidnapping, unlawful use of an identification card and miscellaneous traffic offenses.
The victims told authorities they know of no reason why the suspects kidnapped them.
