Teenager Kidnapped In Cleveland; Outsmarts Captors, Escapes

CLEVELAND, OH — A 15-year-old was kidnapped out of a bed, at gunpoint, on Tuesday. She was taken on a strange trip through Cleveland and Parma before she was able to escape her kidnappers.

The teenager was staying at a friend's house when she was shaken awake. A man she didn't know was standing over her and put a gun against her forehead. He grabbed what cash she had in her pockets and then ordered her downstairs.

Downstairs the girl saw her friends, a 20-year-old Cleveland man and his brother, surrounded by three people holding handguns. The brother bolted for the front door and managed to escape. The teenager and the 20-year-old were ordered into separate cars.

One of the kidnappers took the 15-year-old and drove to a BP Gas Station. He threatened to kill her if she screamed, so she kept silent. She told police she tried to get the attention of the clerk without shouting, but she wasn't able to.

Likely looking for another opportunity to escape, the 15-year-old said she was hungry. To satiate her, they drove to a McDonald's. The girl's captor attempted to sell cocaine to the drive-thru worker, according to Cleveland Police records. It's not clear if he succeeded.

Finally, with morning light spreading, the car carrying the teenager pulled onto W. 54th Street, near Grantwood. The girl saw two crossing guards on the street.

She managed to throw the vehicle in park, grabbed the keys out of the ignition before her captor could react and then started screaming, "I've been kidnapped!"

The girl's captor jumped out of the car and started running through yards, so the girl got into the driver's seat and took herself to an autoshop in Parma, where she was able to call the police.

When Cleveland Police arrived, Parma cops were already on the scene. Cleveland officers took the girl's story and investigated the house where she was taken. The security door had been taken off the hinges and there was a piece of splintered plywood on the inside door, like it had been kicked in, according to police reports.

Officers are attempting to get surveillance video footage of some of the stops the teenager and her captor made during the early morning hours. Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.

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