Man kidnapped, beaten after reporting his car as stolen, police say

Man kidnapped, beaten after reporting his car as stolen, police say

(Mike Radice/KSL TV/File)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Three men and one woman face various charges stemming from a robbery and kidnapping on May 19.

Daniel Bautista Gallardo, Blas Gabriel Garcia, and Saun Hamzic each were charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, both first-degree felonies.

Nathaly Elise Russell was charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, in connection with the incident.

Police say the man who was robbed and kidnapped had been staying in an apartment rented by Russell for about a week when her ex-boyfriend, Hamzic, along with Gallardo, asked to use the man's BMW to take Russell's child to school, according to charging documents.

When Hamzic and Gallardo had not returned with the vehicle 90 minutes later, the man called police to report the car as stolen, the charges state.

When the two men returned to the apartment, Hamzic grabbed the man by the neck of his shirt, reportedly choking the man, while claiming that the man was now an enemy, according to the charges.

After the confrontation, Gallardo, Garcia, Hamzic and an additional unidentified male took the man who owned the car to a bedroom where Hamzic took the man's wallet, and both the unidentified male and Garcia punched the victim in the face, charges state.

Next, the men emptied the wallet, and some of the men threatened to harm the kidnapped man with a bat, according to charging documents. Garcia left the apartment with the man's keys, phone and car, while Gallardo watched over the man, charges state.

Salt Lake police received information that a man was being held against his will at the apartment on the same day the car was reported as stolen, according to charging documents.

When they arrived at the residence, police officers asked Russell, who answered the door, if the man was in the apartment, according to court documents. Russell confirmed that the man was in the apartment, and after the officers requested to see the man, she allowed the kidnapped man to come to the door, charges state.

After the man came out, officers asked if there was anyone else in the apartment. The man confirmed that he was being held against his will, and that other people were in the apartment, according to police.

The officers reportedly called the other people out of the apartment and took them into custody, including Gallardo and Russell, charges state.

According to court documents, Garcia drove the BMW back to the apartment and was chased by two of the kidnapped man's brothers toward a police officer. Garcia was then taken into custody by officers.

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