Police: Woman shopping in Orange City kidnapped at gunpoint, forced to make ATM withdrawal
A Deltona woman's day of shopping last month at an Orange City bargain store turned terrifying when a man and woman kidnapped her at gunpoint and drove her to a bank to withdraw money for the suspects, police said.
The 66-year-old victim was not injured and was released after she withdrew $360 from her bank's ATM, according to Orange City police.
The incident occurred on Sept. 15 at Ollie's Bargain Outlet at 814 Saxon Blvd., said Orange City police Lt. Sherif El-Shami.
Jorge Rueda, 66, of Palm Springs, and Gloria Lopez-Henao, 55, of Orlando, were arrested Tuesday and each charged with kidnapping while committing/facilitating the commission of a felony and armed robbery.
Both Rueda and Lopez-Henao, Colombian nationals, remained locked up with no bail in the Volusia County Branch Jail on Wednesday.
The victim called police after she was released at a Target store in Orange City and investigators later managed to identify the two alleged kidnappers using surveillance video from surrounding businesses.
The victim also identified Rueda and Lopez-Henao in a photo line-up. Once the suspects' identities were confirmed, the Orange City Police Department's Investigations Services Division worked with the Orange County Sheriff's Office to track down the couple.
Rueda and Lopez-Henao were eventually located at their Orlando home where they were arrested and brought to Volusia County on Tuesday, El-Shami said.
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According to Orange City police, the Deltona woman was shopping for items at Ollie's just before 2:19 p.m. on Sept. 15 when she was approached by Lopez-Henao, who asked her if she spoke Spanish. The woman pretended she was looking for a notary public's office.
The victim tried to get a man in the store to help but Lopez-Henao went to a man standing on a corner of the store and brought him over to her, police noted in an arrest report.
While Lopez-Henao asked the man, later identified as Rueda, about a notary public, Rueda pulled out a gun and pointed it at the Deltona victim. Rueda then told the woman to leave with them if she didn't want him to shoot her, police said.
The pair then drove to a PNC bank. Rueda got out and Lopez-Henao then held the gun pointed at the woman's neck, police said.
Rueda came back with a deposit bag and asked the victim about her bank. He then drove the woman and forced her to withdraw money from the ATM, Orange City police investigators said.
Rueda and Lopez-Henao then drove the victim to a Target store and instructed her to pick up medication for them. The victim got out of the vehicle and as she headed into the store, she looked back and noticed that the suspects were gone. The frightened woman then called police, the report states.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Woman shopping in Orange City store kidnapped at gunpoint
