Kidnapped, Trapped in Trunk, Houston Man Uses SOS Texts to Lead Police to Captors
Photo: Carjacking suspect Jeremy Banguero, 17.
Thi Yuan Yen says he was leaving his Stafford apartment just south of Houston, on Christmas Day, when suddenly a man pulled open his car door, according to local Houston station KTRK.
The man pointed a gun to his back, forced him into the car and told him to drive to a bank, Yen said. Shortly after he started driving, the man told him to stop and forced him into the trunk.
"The only thing I could think of was to send a text message to my friend because my friend has most of my information," Yen told KTRK. "If 911 needs it, then he can respond to them."
Yen sent a short message that read "Robbed Call Police" and waited for the cavalry to arrive.
On the way to the bank, Yen says the car stopped once and he heard a second person get into the car. When they arrived at the bank, the men made Yen get back into the driver's seat and use the drive-thru ATM to withdraw money.
Yen handed the money over and says that within a minute Fort Bend Sheriff deputies arrived on the scene. His captors tried to get Yen to cover for them. "They asked me to tell the cops that we are friends," he said.
The cops didn't buy it and quickly took the two men into custody.
Jeremy Banguero, 17, was charged with aggravated kidnapping. His alleged 16-year-old accomplice was also taken into custody.