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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, May 16, 2010

Victim, witnesses help foil kidnappers


By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Alert witnesses and a phone call made from the trunk of a car by an apparent kidnapping victim helped police track down two men reported to have grabbed him in broad daylight yesterday near Waiau District Park.

Andrew Rodriquez, 18, was being held last night on suspicion of felony kidnapping. Bladesin Bailey, 19, was arrested for misdemeanor contempt.

The drama began shortly before 10 a.m. when, witnesses said, they saw two men throwing another person into the trunk of a white Chevrolet Impala. The witnesses provided police with a license plate number.

Around 10:25 a.m., Honolulu Police Department dispatch received a call from the victim, who was handcuffed and locked in the trunk of the vehicle. He told police he did not know where he was, but police were able to trace the call to the Salt Lake-Pu'uloa area. The two men apparently released the victim after learning that police were looking for them.

Two suspects were arrested around 11 a.m. when officers stopped their vehicle on Salt Lake Boulevard near Radford High School. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Police said they have not yet identified a motive for the alleged kidnapping.

While police scanner broadcasts indicated Rodriquez has a criminal record, including a charge of resisting arrest, a search of the Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center did not turn up any records for Rodriquez as an adult.

Bailey's adult criminal record includes five misdemeanor convictions, including criminal property damage, disorderly conduct, terroristic threatening and liquor in a public place.