FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A twist in an alleged kidnapping story that broke Thursday morning.
The victim claimed that two men tried to rob him, forcing him into a van and driving him to the Wells Fargo bank at Fresno and Van Ness in downtown Fresno.
Fresno Police received a 911 call about the incident, and across the street, Fresno County security issued an active shooter alert to employees at the Courthouse while the situation was happening at the bank.
Police arrived to the bank and took the two men into custody outside, in the parking lot of the bank.
Chief Jerry Dyer said the whole kidnapping story changed once investigators began digging deeper into the case.
“Well, initially we thought that this was a kidnapping and a person having to go into a Wells Fargo against his will and withdraw money for the suspect. What we have since learned is that the victim spent the night in a hotel, with a female, a prostitute,” said Chief Dyer.
Chief Dyer says they learned the pimp wanted more money because the man spent so much time with the prostitute.
He refused saying to the men that he didn’t have the money.
They told him to get into the van and all drove to Wells Fargo, where he was to take out more money to pay for the additional services.
“But on the way, the victim got out at a Valero Store and went in, bought a beer – had ample opportunity to leave and did not,” explained Chief Dyer, who continued “and then when he got down to Wells Fargo and went inside he decided he did not want to pay and that when he said he had been kidnapped.”
Chief Dyer said subsequently both suspects were released.
Dyer said Fresno Police are now looking at the alleged victim to see if they will file any false reporting charges against him.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
