Key facts
- Six men have been arrested on federal charges related to an alleged kidnapping and torture incident.
- The alleged crimes occurred at a Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood, Florida.
- One victim reported being burned with a blowtorch on an arm tattoo and forced to strip.
- The suspects allegedly used gunpoint to force victims into vehicles.
- One victim was released due to an ankle monitor, while the other was abandoned on the side of the road.
- The FBI is investigating the incident.
Six men have been arrested on federal charges for an alleged double kidnapping and torture incident that occurred at a Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood, Florida.
According to a federal criminal complaint, one of the suspects, 19-year-old Saul Alfonso Fajardo, invited two victims to smoke marijuana in his car in the resort's parking garage. After they agreed, a witness reported seeing multiple individuals force the two victims into two separate vehicles at gunpoint.
During the alleged kidnapping, one victim reported that 20-year-old Justin Phihoang Le shoved a cloth into his mouth and used a blowtorch to burn a racing flag tattoo on his arm, stating, "I’m gonna burn the tattoo off of you, you don’t deserve to have it. I’m going to torture you." Both victims were allegedly made to strip down to their underwear.
One victim was released by the suspects due to the presence of an ankle monitor, out of fear of being tracked. The other victim, without an ankle monitor, was held at gunpoint. The suspects reportedly began to panic after driving for about 10 minutes and left this victim on the side of the road.
The victim who was left on the side of the road faked a seizure and was subsequently abandoned. He later walked around until he found a residential neighborhood and asked someone to call the police.
The suspects charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping were identified as Saul Alfonso Fajardo, 19; Anthony Teruel Hernandez, 18; Weilen Hernandez, 20; Amari Tamire Hill, 21; Justin Phihoang Le, 20; and Marikevies McNichols Jr., 19. The FBI is leading the investigation.