2 Men Arrested in Kidnapping, Attempted Robbery

Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men Thursday night in connection with a kidnapping and attempted robbery of employees at a computer chip manufacturer.

The men, whose names were not available Thursday, allegedly were among a group of eight men who entered a computer business about 6:15 p.m. and kidnapped one or more employees at gunpoint.

“They drove around for a while and then back to the business,” Sheriff’s Lt. Keith Brown said. “At that point, they forced somebody, possibly the owner or manager, to open the door to the company . . . and the security alarm went off.”

The robbers took the employees to a back room and after a conversation on a cellular phone, they kidnapped a female employee a second time and fled the business, Brown said.

The woman was released near a California Highway Patrol call box on Laguna Canyon Road and she called for help.

“She was distressed,” a CHP dispatcher said. “She was crying and screaming.”

Her condition was not known Thursday evening. Deputies arrested two men and were searching for the others. Witnesses said they saw at least one gun and the men had arrived in three vehicles, Brown said.