Witnesses looked on in shock as a bound and beaten man crawled out of the trunk of a car that had crashed into a Seattle home and burst into flames, police said.
The 63-year-old alleged kidnap victim said he was slashed, roughed up then thrown into the trunk of his car – but broke free when his captors crashed into the home, according to Seattle police.
"He was beat up pretty bad. They had cut his face with a knife and had beat him up pretty badly," witness Raegan McKibbon told King 5 of the victim.
The crash happened around 5 a.m. Thursday in the Ravenna neighborhood.
"A screeching noise and then the most sickening crunch," neighbor Cheng Yu recounted to King 5 of what he heard when the car crashed.
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Brooks Mierow said he and his children were home when the car slammed into his home, and he rushed the kids and family’s dog out of the house when he spotted smoke coming from the car.
The kidnapping victim was seen exiting the trunk of the car during the incident, and McKibbon assisted the man across the street from the crash.
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The Seattle Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the flames. Police said the 63-year-old victim was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The alleged driver or other passengers were not immediately located, cops said.
The victim reported to police that he was assaulted by "several suspects" before he was bound and forced into the trunk. Police told King 5 that the kidnapping did not appear targeted.
An 18-year-old male who matched a description of a suspect provided by the victim was questioned by police and ultimately released. No other suspects were located, Seattle PD reported.
Detectives are investigating and police are calling on members of the public to call SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000 if they have information on the case.
