U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed detainers on two illegal aliens from Venezuela, including one of them with probable ties to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, after they kidnapped a Washington state woman and used a power drill on her hand before shooting her in January, according to law enforcement officials.
Kevin Daniel Sanabria Ojeda, 24, and 25-year-old Alexander Moises Arnaez-Gutierrez were both charged last week with kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder in King County, Washington.
A senior ICE official confirmed to Fox News that both suspects are Venezuelan illegal immigrants, and ICE is placing detainers on both of them with local authorities.
Charging documents obtained by Fox News Digital allege that Sanabria Ojeda and Arnaez-Gutierrez kidnapped the female victim as she returned to her apartment in Burien around 10 p.m. on Jan. 21.
VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TACKLED BY FEDERAL AGENTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE COURTHOUSE AFTER ATTEMPT TO FLEE
The two men are accused of forcing the woman into a vehicle, and during the scuffle, a gun was fired.
“They used a power drill to drill into (the victim’s) hand to get access to her cell phone and bank accounts,” the King County Sheriff’s Office wrote in the arrest report. “They then threatened her by telling her they were going to kill her, kill her family, feed her to the bears and dump her body far away.”
The report claims Sanabria Ojeda and Arnaez-Gutierrez drove the woman to Kittitas County before shooting her on the side of Interstate 90.
“They shot her on a mountain pass and left her for dead,” investigators wrote in the report.
FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT
After waiting about 15 minutes, the woman climbed over a retaining wall and flagged down help, the report noted.
She was then taken to an area hospital where she was interviewed by detectives and reportedly said she thought the men killed her after shooting her.
The woman also told police she “played dead” after she was struck in the shoulder.
MORE THAN 900 ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED WITH IMMIGRATION-RELATED CRIMES DURING FIRST WEEK OF APRIL: DOJ
After enlisting the help of the FBI, Sanabria Ojeda’s vehicle was located by police at a motel in Illinois.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video of the suspects before conducting surveillance of their own and matching Sanabria Ojeda as a suspect a week after the kidnapping.
After identifying Sanabria Ojeda, he was arrested before investigators searched his hotel, where they reportedly located jewelry owned by the woman who was kidnapped.
“Post Miranda (rights), Sanabria stated that he participated in the kidnapping, vehicle theft, robbery and killing of the ‘lady’ known to investigators as (victim),” the arrest report said.
Last week, the Mercer Island Police reportedly arrested Arnaez-Guitierrez during a traffic stop.
The King County Sheriff’s Office says one suspect has probable ties to Tren de Aragua.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Read the full article here