San Diego
Three men were arrested Monday on suspicion of false imprisonment after they allegedly held five Mexicans at knifepoint.
According to police, the three men were smuggling the illegal immigrants to Los Angeles, but stopped at a load house in San Diego, where they demanded more money. Load houses are used by smugglers to hold undocumented immigrants and transfer them to vehicles used to transport them to their destination.
The five men were held at the house for about five hours until one escaped through a second-story window and called San Diego police at 9 a.m.
Sergio Cruz Pena, 18; Jesus Lopez Rivera, 23, and Alberto Sanchez-Ortega are being held in County Jail. The three are also undocumented immigrants.
The five immigrants were released to Border Patrol officers to be deported back to Mexico.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
