Gunmen Abduct Boys, Force Mother to Take Money From Business

Threatening to kill her two young sons whom they had kidnaped, two gunmen forced a Sun Valley woman to drive to the check-cashing business where she works and give them money from the company’s safe, Los Angeles police said Friday.

The boys, ages 6 and 8, were left unharmed Thursday night inside a van abandoned in North Hollywood, Detective Jim Wegman said.

Wegman said the gunmen apparently knew that Dora Rodriguez was a cashier at All Express Check Cashing in the 15300 block of Sherman Way in North Hollywood. He said the two may have followed Rodriguez as she drove from work Thursday night to a baby-sitter’s house and later to her home in the 10400 block of Rainier Street.

Rodriguez, 32, had just pulled into her driveway about 8 p.m. when the men, with guns drawn, rushed up to her pickup truck, Wegman said.

One man pulled the two boys out of their mother’s truck, shoved them into a white van and drove away, authorities said. Meanwhile, his partner jumped into Rodriguez’s truck and told her to return to the check-cashing company, Wegman said.

Children Threatened

Rodriguez said the gunman told her she must follow his instructions precisely or the children would die, Wegman said.

Rodriguez drove to the business, which had closed an hour earlier, and entered by using her key, Wegman said. She opened a safe, pulled out an undisclosed amount of money and handed it to the gunman, he said.

“They made a pretty good haul,” he said. He would not say how much money was taken.

After leaving the company, the man forced Rodriguez to drive around North Hollywood before telling her she could find her sons behind a television repair shop on Whitsett Avenue near Victory Boulevard. He finally got out of her truck and fled on foot, Wegman said, adding that the gunman was probably picked up by an accomplice.

But, when Rodriguez drove to the repair shop, the boys were not there. She then “really panicked” and called police, Wegman said.

Van Spotted

Two police officers spotted the van on Hamlin Street near Wilkinson Avenue about 10:45 p.m. and, minutes later, found the frightened boys huddled inside, Wegman said. “No one was injured, just traumatized,” he said. The boys’ names were not released.

The van was stolen Dec. 20 in Van Nuys, he said.

The manager of All Express Check Cashing said Rodriguez began work there three months ago.