A rather scary incident involving a Chinese man and his kidnappers in (LA) Los Angeles, California has left many US citizens puzzled and worried. While it’s easy to assume that it’s yet another ICE-involved detention, one alarming detail is that the “kidnappers” were wearing neither uniforms nor badges, only masks, leading many to believe that it’s not a legal operation.
The kidnapping apparently took place in front of the Los Angeles Parking Violations Bureau, right beside the Redwood Bar & Grill along W 2nd St. An East Asian man, possibly in his 30s, was handcuffed and restrained by a couple of masked women while he was shouting for help. Soon after, a couple of masked men joined the scene and quickly dragged the man into their sedan. The video has since been posted on Reddit by user Jevus_himself:
As for what exactly the East Asian man was saying, one of the comments has claimed that it’s Chinese (possibly Mandarin) for “Jiu Ming! ICE! Save my life” with the last phrase also possibly translated as “help.” Sadly, the bystanders couldn’t help since they couldn’t understand Chinese language, though the man certainly knew how to spell I-C-E.
Additionally, the bystanders were reluctant to get involved since there were no badges or uniforms in sight. For all everyone knew, it could be some kind of syndicate or even possibly a bounty hunter operation. So far, it’s not clear whether it’s really ICE that kidnapped the Chinese man. It’s also not clear what a lone Chinese man who didn’t know the local language was doing around the streets of Los Angeles.
People Have Chimed in on the Matter
Since the people who were restraining the Chinese man weren’t wearing uniforms and badges, and also didn’t seem to present any warrant or identification, many have assumed that the incident is just plain kidnapping. Some have surmised that the masked men and women could be bounty hunters who many suspect could also be working for government agencies or private individuals.
In any case, it’s not the first time ICE has been linked to private bounty hunters. Back in January, a supposed whistleblower even claimed that ICE would be employing bounty hunters with a reward of $1,000 to $1,500 per person they detain or kidnap (likely to fill deportation quotas). That doesn’t mean the recent LA incident with the Chinese man is connected, though it appears many people online have formed such conclusions.
“I am convinced many of these abductions are being done by private bounty hunters. They hide their faces because they want to be able to keep bounty hunting once this is over,” claims Al_Tilly_the_Bum
“I see no badges, no reason to assume this was legal,” according to Smokybare94
“Very soon when they start taking kids, nobody is gonna be able to tell whether itโs ice or just a pedo kidnapping ring. Just f***ing great thanks to the orange faced dbag,” fears nish1021
