Kidnapping victim is tossed in jail with the kidnappers

[matcom]

<snip>

WALKER -- A kidnapping and beating were bad enough for a 20-year-old Grand Rapids man, who Sunday night was eating at McDonald's with his girlfriend when three captors took him away.

Next came the ransom demand -- a paltry $800.

Five hours later, the victim was rescued by police -- and then thrown in jail along with his kidnappers. He had an outstanding charge, police said.

"He had a bad day going there," Walker Police Detective Mike Iwanski said.

The drama began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday at McDonald's restaurant on Walker Avenue NW near Int. 96.

Three men in a pickup tracked him down there, claiming he owed them $800, Iwanski said. After he refused to pay, they led him outside, beat him and loaded him into the back seat. Police said they believe the kidnapping was drug-related.

"It was alleged that one of the suspects got ripped off" by the victim, Iwanski said. "They were targeting this guy."

The girlfriend called police to report the kidnapping, then met officers at a nearby hotel. In the meantime, the suspects held the victim in a back seat and drove him around the Grand Rapids area. "You name it, and they were there," Iwanski said.

Eventually, the suspects called the girlfriend to demand money. Police monitored the calls.

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