A group of men targeted a couple driving a luxury car while house hunting in a gated Connecticut community, roughing them up and kidnapping them in a van before they were rescued.
The couple's ordeal unfolded Sunday afternoon when the victims, a husband and wife in their 50s, pulled up to a tony Danbury house in their Lamborghini, where they were to meet a real-estate agent. That's when their car was purposely rear-ended by the van. When the couple exited the car to see what happened, they were surrounded by three other vehicles.
The suspects -- six men in all who live in Florida -- then beat them with a baseball bat and shoved them in the van. The suspects duct taped their hands and feet and covered the man's eyes as the van sped away. Other suspects drove off with the Lamborghini.
"It seems like they were struck with a bat. The male victim was pretty bruised, pretty swollen and they indicated they were struck with a bat several times," Sgt. Steven Castrovinci said.
A heroic witness called the police and then followed the van until it crashed and police arrived.
Video shows the van speeding away from the scene, racing down Clapboard Ridge Road and at one point, crossing the double yellow line, nearly hitting an oncoming Subaru.
The van eventually lost control on a turn and crashed. The suspects fled on foot.
Police found the husband and wife inside the van. Police said the victims were taken to the hospital and are recovering from their injuries, which were not life-threatening.
The stolen Lamborghini and the other two suspect cars were also found.
After searching the area near the van, four suspects were found and taken into custody. The remaining two were found at a short-term rental home in Roxbury.
The six suspects had no obvious connections to the victims, police said.
The suspects were identified as Angel Borrero, 23; Reynaldo Diaz, 22; Anthony Pena, 23; Josue Romero, 26; Ricardo Estrada, 21; and Michael Rivas, 18.
"We did a lot of background work on them, but at this time it doesn't seem as they have any connections to the Northeast. They're all Miami, Florida guys," Castrovinci said.
All six are facing several charges including first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, and reckless endangerment.
Danbury Police say that it appears that the victims were specifically targeted but the exact motive is not known at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Danbury Police Detectives at 203-797-4662 or the anonymous Tips Line 203-790-TIPS (8477).
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