GREENWICH, Conn. (WPIX)—
A wild brawl broke out at a quiet Greenwich strip mall Sunday morning as a group of baseball bat-brandishing relatives attempted to rescue three victims kidnapped from Texas and taken to Connecticut.The incident began when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent an alert to local police earlier that morning that they were investigating a "human smuggling" case in the area, and to be on the lookout for a large blue passenger van with Texas license plates.
The relatives from Willimantic and the captors made a deal to meet at the Riverside Commons Shopping Center Sunday morning to make an exchange: ransom for people.
"They said they were going to bring money, but they came with bats," said a police spokesperson.
Police soon responded to a fight in progress at 11:30 a.m. in the shopping center's parking lot and determined that the people involved in the fight were the same people ICE was investigating. At least a half dozen police cars arrived to the scene.
The relatives were able to successfully rescue the three victims by force from the kidnappers who later fled.
But when cops arrived, witnesses say that several people began to flee on foot and in vehicles. Police say they were able to track down all the vehicles in various locations in the town.
Of those taken into custody, were one suspect and the three victims, who were all questioned on immigration violation charges.
The second captor was able to escape and is still on the loose.
No names have been released.
