Three arrested in death of their purported kidnapper in Gardena

Three people who called Gardena police saying they had knocked out a man who tried to kidnap them have been arrested after the man was found to be dead, authorities said.

Police responded to a report of an attempted kidnapping shortly after 5 p.m. Friday in the 13100 block of Daleside Avenue, according to a statement from Gardena police. A caller said a man had tried to kidnap them, but they had managed to knock him unconscious in their truck.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two adults and a juvenile along with a man inside the truck who was unresponsive, police said. Paramedics attempted to revive the man at the scene for several minutes but were unsuccessful.

After further investigation, the three purported kidnapping victims were arrested and are expected to be charged in the man’s death, according to police. They were identified as Jennifer Nichols, 36, and Alejandro Terrazas, 23, both of Hawthorne, and a 15-year-old juvenile.

The identity of the dead man was not released pending notification of next of kin.

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