Police Need Help Identifying Kidnapping Suspect

The Clearwater Police Department is looking for help identifying a man it says kidnapped another man early Sunday morning.

According to the agency, the incident began to unfold when a 23-year-old man agreed to give a man a ride, picking him up near the intersection of U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road.

“The passenger then began battering the driver and forced him to drive to a bank ATM on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard where he ordered the man to withdraw cash,” an email from the police department said. “He then switched places with the man, and continued to batter him as they drove.”

The victim was able to jump out of the car at Keene and Druid roads. He then ran to a nearby home for assistance and medical help was called in, the email stated. The victim was later treated and released from Morton Plant Hosptial.

Meanwhile, police continue to search for the suspect. He is described as a black male with a thin build. He has a mustache and a left earring. The man was last seen wearing a T-shirt with the words “Cali Life” on it. The victim’s car, a 1998 green Plymouth Voyager van is also missing.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Clearwater Police Department at 727-562-4242.

Photo courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department