8 Sought in Kidnapping, Armed Robbery

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) — The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is requesting the community‘s assistance to help identify suspects wanted for kidnapping, armed robbery, assault and battery. Sheriff Leon Lott stated that at 2:00 AM on Monday, July 20, 2015 in the 7800 block of Bluff Road in Gadsden, eight suspects dressed in camouflage clothing knocked on the victim‘s door claiming to be law enforcement. Sheriff Leon Lott stated that when the victim came to the door the suspects forced their way inside the residence with handguns, forcibly restraining the victims, which included a one-month old child. The Sheriff states that the suspects demanded money from the victim and his family while assaulting them with pistols; the suspects threatened that if the victim did not produce the money they would harm his family. The Sheriff stated that the suspects then took the victims to the kitchen, where they turned on the stove, heated up several metal cooking utensils and used them to torture the victims, with the exception of the infant, by burning them in various locations on their bodies. The suspects then threatened bodily harm to the victim‘s one month old child by placing a gun to the child’s head, threatening to kill the baby if he did not comply with their demands of money. Sheriff Leon Lott states that victims did not have any money at the residence and that the victim convinced the suspects to take them to separate locations of family members who could possibly produce money. The suspects then took several vehicles to different locations in northeast Columbia and Sumter; at one of the locations the victims were able to escape with the assistance of concerned citizens. A $6,000 reward is being offered for any information. Call CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-888-CRIME-SC to leave an anonymous tip.