PHOTO: Two San Antonio men accused of kidnapping a couple at gunpoint from their home in front of their five children ‘in targeted attack’ – with one suspect still at large
- Two men have been arrested after police say they kidnapped a couple at gunpoint from their family home in front of their five children
- Felipe Patricio Valdez and Xhavier Zeke Martinez are charged with aggravated kidnapping
- Police said the incident was targeted and are still looking for a third suspect
Two San Antonio men have been arrested for “kidnapping a couple at gunpoint in front of their five children” — while an unknown third suspect remains at large.
Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40, and
Valdez has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and given a $250,000 bond. Martinez, who previously had arrest warrants issued for deadly conduct with a firearm, evading arrest and interfering with public duties, faced the same charges but was given a higher bond of $256,000.
Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37, were reportedly forced from their family home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell early Wednesday morning.
Police said the kidnapping was targeted but do not yet know whether the couple knew the intruders.
Headshot photos of Felipe Patricio Valdez, 40 (left), and Xhavier Zeke Martinez, 29 (right) have been released by the San Antonio Police Department
Valdez (left) and Martinez (right) were pictured in handcuffs as police led them away to be taken into custody
The San Antonio couple was kidnapped as their five children watched. Pictured: Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga and Ricky Zuniga
Police were called to a home in the 3100 block of Mission Bell around 6 a.m. Wednesday and were told by the children that the suspects had fled in a white SUV.
Police said Valdez and Zuniga kicked in the front door of the family home and dragged the couple outside as their five children watched.
The only clue that police should continue in their search for the missing couple was a white SUV they got into.
Sergeant Washington Moscoso told reporters Thursday that detectives worked “all night” to find the couple “whose family was separated in such a violent manner.”
He added: ‘Detectives quickly realized through their investigation that this was a targeted kidnapping, it was not a random act, it was not just these individuals who had chosen a house and kidnapped the individuals.’
The pair were found safe early Thursday morning at a location on Culebra Road, near West Commerce Street on the West Side.
A SWAT team reportedly raided the home and the suspects were arrested “without incident.” Detectives are now searching the property.
Police have not yet named the third suspect wanted in connection with the kidnapping.
A neighbor of the suspects told the story NEWS4SA: ‘It’s quite shocking to be honest because I wouldn’t think those people would do something like that.’
A spokesperson for the San Antonio Police Department confirmed to DailyMail.com that the parents are back with their children.
DailyMail.com confirmed that missing persons Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga, 38, and Ricky Zuniga, 37, have been safely reunited with their five children
Suspects Martinez and Valdez kicked in the door of the family home and dragged the couple outside in the presence of their children, a police spokesperson said.
A friend of the couple who had posted on Facebook pleading for people to be on the lookout shared his reaction to the news that they had been found.
John Garcia Jr. said, ‘THANK YOU GOD!! Ricky and Samantha Esquivel-Zuniga are safe!’
Garcia Jr. also informed his friends that the couple had “no serious injuries” and were taken to the center for questioning.
The couple’s friends were shocked by the incident, despite police claiming the attack was targeted and planned.
Friends said on Facebook they were “lost for words” and shared prayers for the couple online.