BERKELEY — A 21-year-old man taken for ransom by five South Carolina man while at a motel here last week is expected to recover from his injuries after he was beaten by the men, authorities said.
The five all were behind bars at Santa Rita Jail on Tuesday after their arrest in Patterson on Sunday, authorities said. Police in Patterson, which contracts with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department for services, found them after being tipped to the incident by Berkeley police.
Those suspected of committing the crime include Jamikaco Thompson, 27; Racal Thompson, 24; and Rodquavious Whitehurst, 20, all of whom have residences listed in Greenville, N.C., police said. The other two suspects were identified as Vacenta Rice, 27; and Antravious Evans, 19, who are both from Fountain Inn, S.C.
Jail records say all five are suspected of kidnapping with a gun with a special allegation of using it; torture; kidnapping for ransom; kidnapping to commit a robbery; first-degree robbery and illegal possession of a weapon. They are due in court for their arraignment on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
The first reports of the kidnapping came around 10:05 p.m. on July 28, when officers responded to the Knights Inn Motel at 1512 University Ave., Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White said. Officers learned that the 21-year-old had been taken around 6:30 p.m., and that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the man unless a friend of his brought them $30,000 cash in the area of Tracy, White said.
A statement from the Sheriff’s Department said Berkeley police soon after the kidnapping reports contacted police services in Patterson with word that the suspects might be in that city
The collaboration between the two departments led deputies in Patterson to the Kit Fox RV Park on Rogers Road early Sunday, the Sheriff’s Department said. Deputies also found an assault rifle when they arrested the five men.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, the hostage, “was a little worse for wear but will recover from his injuries.”