EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- A Linn County man is facing kidnapping charges after allegedly sneaking into a car and taking two people hostage in Eugene.
Eugene Police say the incident began around 2 AM on Saturday morning, January 19th, 2013, after two men got in their car on Villard Street near Matthew Knight Arena. The two men left their apartment on a trip to pick up their friend.
When the men closed the doors to the car, police say a man hiding in the back seat popped up. The suspect then told the two victims that he had a gun and would shoot them if they didn’t obey his orders.
According to police, the kidnapper told the two victims to go get gas, but no stations were open. Police say the men then stopped at a convenience store. That’s when the passenger got out and ran, calling 911.
That left the driver and the accused kidnapper in the car. Police say the kidnapper ordered the driver to leave the scene. Soon after, the driver pulled into a parking lot on Coburg Road and when he saw the kidnapper was distracted, the driver then took action.
"The victim became attacker and he punched the man who had held him hostage for the last forty minutes as many as twenty times,” said Lieutenant Doug Mozan of the Eugene Police Department. “It [the incident] serves a sobering remind that people should be aware of their surroundings, especially late at night and to check their car before they get in it.”
The accused kidnapper, 27-year-old Jeramey Ortega of Halsey eventually ran from the car. Police arrested him about three hours later after finding him sleeping inside another car on Centennial Loop.
Ortega is charged with kidnapping, robbery, a probation violation and other charges.
Police didn’t find a gun in Ortega’s possession when he was arrested. He’s now being held in the Lane County Jail. Officers believe that the seriousness of his charges should prevent him from being a capacity-based release from the jail.
