DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A man wrapped in duct tape escaped from the trunk of a car after allegedly being kidnapped at a Golden Corral, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Police said they were called to the scene on Monday at around 10:30 p.m. when a man and a woman called officers after helping the duct-taped man who tumbled out of the trunk of the car in front of them.
The man and woman were driving southbound on North Ridgewood Avenue when they approached a red light at the intersection of West International Speedway Boulevard and stopped behind the silver, four-door passenger car, the report said. While waiting for the light to change, they said they noticed the trunk of the car open.
Daytona Beach Police said the couple first thought it was a prank and decided to follow the car into a Walgreen's parking lot.
When the light turned green, both cars proceeded southbound until the suspect car pulled up to the Walgreens parking lot and a man with severe injuries, and wrapped in duct tape, fell out of the trunk, police said. The car sped away and the witnesses were unable to track it any farther, according to the report.
"He just got out of a trunk," said the witness on the phone with 911. "He was kidnapped. He's at WaWa, laying in the parking lot."
The man and woman went to help the victim and removed the duct tape from his body, authorities said. When he was released from the constraints, the victim told the pair he had been kidnapped and the man who did it was trying to kill him, according to the report.
"He's got tape around his throat," said the caller.
The victim ran away from the pair and toward a Wawa, which is when the man and woman called authorities, the report said.
When Daytona Beach police arrived at the scene, they said the victim was outside of the Wawa and was covered in bruises and had swelling in the facial area. They said they also noticed duct tape pieces stuck to his clothing.
The victim was taken to Halifax Medical Center for his injuries, the report said.
According to the report, the victim told police that he met up with his friend and an unknown man outside the Golden Corral Restaurant in Port Orange. Police said the last thing the victim remembered was passing a 7-11 store and a Taco Bell in Daytona Beach before he was struck multiple times while inside the car.
The Port Orange Police Department took over the investigation when they arrived at the scene, according to the report. Units surveyed the area but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle, police said.
Authorities spoke with Wawa management, who gave them the surveillance camera footage, but the incident was not captured due to the camera's viewpoints, according to the report. They attempted to make contact with Walgreen's staff, but the business was closed, authorities said.