3 men kidnap 4 Northern California tourists, steal roughly $70,000 worth of property, LAPD says
BEVERLY CREST, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Police Department is now calling a follow-home robbery in the Beverly Crest area a kidnapping.
Investigators say three armed men followed four Northern California tourists from a restaurant in the Beverly Grove area to their Airbnb on Coldwater Canyon early Wednesday morning.
They say they spotted a luxury SUV following them and didn't go directly to their Airbnb. Instead, they drove until they said they lost the SUV following them, and then returned to the Airbnb.
However, when the victims parked their car in the driveway and got out of the car, they say they were robbed by three suspects armed with guns.
The robbery suspects stole their property in the driveway and proceeded to take the four men into the home at gunpoint.
The suspects stole about $70,000 worth of clothes and jewelry.
"This one is alarming in which the victims were forced to go inside of a residence where they were taken from a place safer, in front public view, out into a residence, which makes this a much more serious crime," Det. Chris Marsden said. "It's a kidnapping, which, when we catch them, this would punishable up to life in prison."
No one was seriously hurt. The suspects were described as males between the ages of 19 and 25.
They say there is no indication this is gang-related, but it does come after last week's warning from the LAPD that nearly 20 gangs were sending out crews to follow people home and rob people in wealthy neighborhoods.
READ MORE: More than a dozen LA gangs involved in various follow-home robberies, police say
The LAPD says there have been more than 250 similar incidents over the last year.
City News Service contributed to this report
