Miami Police: Teens In Custody For Kidnap Hoax

Real Victim Of Crime Robbed, Beaten, Officer Says

MIAMI -- Miami Police say that the kidnapping of three girls Monday night by two armed men was actually a ploy by the group to rip off a South Florida teen.

The three girls were working with two white Latin men to rob Jorge Beltran III of Key Biscayne, police say. Beltran was beaten, pepper-sprayed, and had his life threatened and his Volkswagen Passat stolen, according to investigators.

Officers have two of the girls and one of the men in custody. They say they also have a pellet gun that looks very much like a real semi-automatic .45, which was used in the crime.

While a third girl and second man are still on the loose, police say they are confident that they will apprehend them soon.

Beltran's Passat was found in West Palm Beach.

The suspects could face armed robbery and aggravated battery charges.

According to police, three girls who were reported as kidnapped Monday night actually staged the kidnapping and attack on an 18-year-old boy in order to get his car.

Miami Police Lt. Bill Schwartz said earlier that an 18-year-old male had driven to a local beach to meet with three girls. When the man arrived, he was reportedly attacked by two other males who pepper-sprayed him and threatened him with guns. Police say one of the assailants put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him.

Schwartz said the two suspects then forced the girls, ages 15 through 17, into their gold Mazda and drove off. That was reportedly a set up in order to steal the 18-year-old male's car. One of the assailants then drove off in the young man's black 2002 Volkswagen Passat.

Investigators said earlier they were treating the case as a serious abduction.

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