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Kidnappers were in police clothes
By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2006
BONITA ? A 38-year-old man was kidnapped in front of his house yesterday morning by three men armed with guns and dressed as policemen, authorities confirmed.
The victim, Abelino Inzunza, was about to drive away from his Central Avenue home at 7:50 a.m. when the men, wearing blue clothes and vests with the word ?police? on them, blocked his exit, witnesses told Sheriff's deputies.
Inzunza was pulled out of his silver van, thrown to the ground, handcuffed and put in the back seat of another vehicle, the witnesses said.
Sheriff's Lt. Kirby Beyer confirmed the kidnapping.
?There was no law enforcement action involved,? Beyer said. ?Mr. Inzunza was forcibly abducted from his van.
?There has been no communication with the abductors and no motive established,? Beyer said. The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration were assisting.
Two women, longtime residents on their morning walk, saw the kidnapping and provided descriptions of the assailants and their vehicle to authorities.
They said they saw one of the kidnappers point a gun at Inzunza, telling him, ?You're coming with us.?
After the men drove off in a minivan with temporary license plates, Inzunza's wife and four children ran from the house, the neighbors said.
?She was totally panicked, screaming, and the children were crying for their father,? said Linda Blairforth, who lives across the street. She said she heard the commotion and called 911. Then she and others tried to comfort the woman and the children, including a 9-month-old still in the house.
Officials at the border were alerted that the vehicle ? a blue or green newer-model minivan ? possibly was headed into Mexico. It was last seen going west on Central Avenue.
Residents in the quiet, 25-year-old neighborhood, near the Bonita Golf Club and the Sweetwater River, were at a loss to explain what happened.
Many said they did not really know the family, newcomers who kept to themselves. One said Inzunza was involved in real estate in Tijuana.
The house was sold in the past few months. The Inzunzas were renting, neighbors said.
When they moved in, several trucks with Baja California plates were seen at the house, thought to belong to people doing work on the home.
The couple and children were rarely seen, and trash cans never came out to the curb, neighbors said.
Authorities did not release any other information about Inzunza or the investigation. Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (858) 974-2321.
Kidnappers were in police clothes
By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2006
BONITA ? A 38-year-old man was kidnapped in front of his house yesterday morning by three men armed with guns and dressed as policemen, authorities confirmed.
The victim, Abelino Inzunza, was about to drive away from his Central Avenue home at 7:50 a.m. when the men, wearing blue clothes and vests with the word ?police? on them, blocked his exit, witnesses told Sheriff's deputies.
Inzunza was pulled out of his silver van, thrown to the ground, handcuffed and put in the back seat of another vehicle, the witnesses said.
Sheriff's Lt. Kirby Beyer confirmed the kidnapping.
?There was no law enforcement action involved,? Beyer said. ?Mr. Inzunza was forcibly abducted from his van.
?There has been no communication with the abductors and no motive established,? Beyer said. The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration were assisting.
Two women, longtime residents on their morning walk, saw the kidnapping and provided descriptions of the assailants and their vehicle to authorities.
They said they saw one of the kidnappers point a gun at Inzunza, telling him, ?You're coming with us.?
After the men drove off in a minivan with temporary license plates, Inzunza's wife and four children ran from the house, the neighbors said.
?She was totally panicked, screaming, and the children were crying for their father,? said Linda Blairforth, who lives across the street. She said she heard the commotion and called 911. Then she and others tried to comfort the woman and the children, including a 9-month-old still in the house.
Officials at the border were alerted that the vehicle ? a blue or green newer-model minivan ? possibly was headed into Mexico. It was last seen going west on Central Avenue.
Residents in the quiet, 25-year-old neighborhood, near the Bonita Golf Club and the Sweetwater River, were at a loss to explain what happened.
Many said they did not really know the family, newcomers who kept to themselves. One said Inzunza was involved in real estate in Tijuana.
The house was sold in the past few months. The Inzunzas were renting, neighbors said.
When they moved in, several trucks with Baja California plates were seen at the house, thought to belong to people doing work on the home.
The couple and children were rarely seen, and trash cans never came out to the curb, neighbors said.
Authorities did not release any other information about Inzunza or the investigation. Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (858) 974-2321.
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