Florida Father-Son Duo Believed a Mercedes-Benz Dealer Was Scamming Them, What Happened Next Spiraled Into a Bizarre Kidnapping
A Florida father-son duo who wanted to buy a Mercedes-Benz ended up kidnapping a car salesman and his girlfriend because they believed they had been ripped off.
The suspects, 50-year-old Oscar Garcia-Berrios and his son, 23-year-old Brandon Garcia, were arrested for the incident on Nov. 28.
According to an arrest report cited by WTVJ, both men had purchased a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S500 sedan for $37,000 from Car Express Florida in Pompano Beach on Nov. 26.
They were scheduled to meet at the sales office on Nov. 28 to finalize the sale, but that afternoon, Garcia received a text from one of the salesmen who wrote, “he intended to provide a temporary tag and rip [the suspects] off.”
Garcia believes the salesman sent the text to him by accident, but he agreed to meet him anyway to “sort out the discrepancies.”
According to police, when the salesman arrived at the office, he saw Garcia and his father accompanied by an unidentified man.
The men demanded that the salesman “immediately change the title and issue a permanent tag.”
When the victim informed that more documentation was required, Garcia allegedly whipped out an AR-15-style weapon, and his father brandished a pistol.
The report states that Garcia pointed the gun at the victim and ordered him to call his manager to issue a refund. When the men saw that the victim was also armed, they took his gun.
The victim did make the call, but also covertly texted his girlfriend to let her know he was in trouble.
About 40 minutes passed until the salesman’s girlfriend arrived at the scene, during which the suspects allegedly took pictures of all the cards and identification in the victim’s wallet, and also stole items.
When the girlfriend arrived at the dealership, the men brought her inside and also held her at gunpoint.
Authorities say the suspects then forced the victims into the woman’s car to drive them to a house belonging to the manager’s mother. When the victim tried to suggest meeting his colleague at a Wawa where police frequently patrolled, the suspects saw authorities and forced them to drive on.
Later, Garcia allegedly “told the couple he could kill them and forced them out of the car at gunpoint” before he took the wheel and made them get back into the car.
After a while, the salesman finally got in touch with his manager, who said he would meet them at a RaceTrac gas station. However, the victim was also able to share his location with his family members and alert them of the kidnapping.
Police met the suspects and victims at the gas station after receiving a distress call from the family.
Authorities said they arrested Garcia with the AR-15-style pistol in his backpack, a handgun in his waistband, and a phone he had taken from the victim.
Garcia and Garcia-Berrios were charged with kidnapping, robbery with a weapon and aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony. The third man had allegedly been following the victims’ vehicle in a pickup truck, but drove off at some point during the kidnapping and has not been identified.
Garcia and his father were jailed without bond.
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