Oakland man charged with kidnapping teen at gunpoint, leading to hectic manhunt, allegedly over missing $11,000

OAKLAND, Calif. — An 18-year-old woman was kidnapped in broad daylight off International Boulevard as she walked the block as a sex worker, allegedly by men who blamed her for $11,000 that went missing days earlier, according to police.

According to court records, one of at least three suspects has been arrested and charged with kidnapping, making criminal threats, and illegally possessing a firearm.

According to court records, the suspect is 33-year-old David Salazar of Oakland, the same man whose $11,000 went missing and who authorities say was responsible for organizing the kidnapping plot. He is being held in Dublin’s Santa Rita Jail on $250,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Aug. 17, according to court records.

According to Oakland police, the woman was standing near International Boulevard and 13th Avenue around 5 p.m. on July 28 when a 2000s model Acura pulled up alongside her and forced her into the vehicle at gunpoint. One of her friends witnessed the incident and reported it to police, who began tracking the car with the assistance of a helicopter.

Meanwhile, the woman inside the Acura later told police that the three men drove her around Oakland, threatening to kill her or take her to Mexico or Los Angeles and abandon her. According to police, they made several stops along the way before arriving at a Walgreens on Courtland Avenue.

When the suspects realized they were being followed by police, two of them fled, leaving Salazar alone with the woman. According to police, he was walking away from the Acura when officers arrested him and rescued her a short distance away from the store.

Salazar admitted to picking up the woman and bringing her home, and accused her of stealing his cellphone and using it to drain $11,000 from his bank account, according to authorities. He allegedly denied involvement in the kidnapping, insisting the woman went along willingly, and claimed he carried a pistol for protection, not nefarious purposes. In an interview, the woman insisted that the massive theft was committed by another sex worker who had gone with Salazar around the same time as her. However, when police asked for permission to search her phone and verify this, she refused, according to authorities.

The investigation into the stolen money is still ongoing. At Salazar’s Aug. 4 court appearance, a judge denied a motion to release him without bail.