Four Texas teens allegedly kidnapped their former classmate at gunpoint and tortured him after a dispute over one of the suspects’ girlfriends.
Jose Rojas-Alvarado, Oscar Armando Santiago-Martinez, Angel Lemus-Perez, and Carlos Roberto Oliva-Villeda, all 17, were charged with aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon after they allegedly targeted a student at Del Valle High School in February, according to arrest affidavits from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office obtained by KEYE.
The victim left the high school — about 15 miles from Downtown Austin — with three suspects on Feb. 19, allegedly being lured to a nearby farm where a fourth suspect was waiting in a garage.
Once inside, the four suspects, described as former students, allegedly held a gun to the victim’s head while the others bound his hands, feet, and mouth with duct tape, investigators said.
The suspects then allegedly forced the victim to drink alcohol before beating him with aluminum bats, a walking cane, and a belt.
During the assault, the suspects allegedly told the victim they were going to kill him and threatened to harm him and his family if he went to the police, CBS Austin reported.
After the suspects released him, the victim went straight to the authorities to report the attack.
The victim told police he was beaten and held against his will for talking to one of the suspects’ girlfriends.
Investigators said the victim’s injuries were consistent with his account of the attack, noting heavy bruising across his back, chest, and legs.
Some of the suspects allegedly admitted to police they had been plotting the attack for days — and one allegedly recorded the entire ordeal on their phone, according to the affidavits.
The four teenagers face sentences ranging from five to 99 years in prison if found guilty.
Court records also show one of the suspects, Lemus-Perez, is facing an additional charge of engaging in organized criminal activity, CBS Austin reported.
The brutal attack has sent shockwaves through the high school and the Del Valle community.
“I thought it was insane, especially at our school,” student J’Kaideon Mitchell told KEYE. “It’s just crazy how strong that person would have to be to report it and just stay alive, honestly.”
“Everyone’s pretty spooked… Everyone’s been like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,’” he added.
Del Valle Independent School District said the suspects are not currently enrolled in the district and that it is “aware of the reports of an off-campus incident that resulted in the arrests of former DVISD students.”
“The incident is being actively investigated by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The district does not have further information at this time,” the district told CBS Austin.
“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and we will continue to monitor this incident.”
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