SEATTLE, WA – Two men were arrested in connection with a chilling sequence of events involving the alleged kidnapping and attempted murder of a woman from a Seattle suburb, according to authorities. The victim remarkably survived by dodging a bullet meant for her head and feigned death on a highway embankment, authorities said.
Kevin Daniel Sanabria Ojeda, 24, and Alexander Moises Arnaez-Gutierrez, 25, face serious charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping, and robbery in King County Superior Court. The incident took place on January 21 at an apartment complex in Burien, Washington, a suburb southwest of Seattle. Prosecutors allege the men meticulously planned the assault over several months and attacked the woman upon her return from work.
“The nature of this crime shows a calculated approach and an unsettling level of violence,” prosecutors stated. The alleged ordeal began when King County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Park Des Moines Apartments complex in Burien after neighbors reported a woman’s screams and a gunshot.
Initially, officers couldn’t locate the victim, but she was later found by law enforcement in an adjacent county, injured and lying along the highway nearly 60 miles away. From her hospital bed, she recounted how the men approached her in her apartment parking lot, knowing her schedule and her living situation.
The attackers reportedly fired a shot, missed, and forced her into their vehicle. The men demanded her purse, which held $20,000 worth of jewelry, officials said. They also drilled into her hand to force her to reveal her bank card pin code before withdrawing a small amount from an ATM.
A terrifying car journey ensued, culminating in the suspects allegedly deciding that the victim “knew too much” and needed to be killed. Placing her by a highway retaining wall, one suspect aimed the gun and fired again. The victim later explained that she ducked and was wounded in the shoulder, feigning death, which possibly saved her life.
In a moment of desperation, she climbed back over the wall and signaled for help. The suspects returned to the apartment complex following the incident and stole her car, officials stated.
Following a thorough investigation, law enforcement collected evidence from the highway and used cell phone and ATM data to corroborate the victim’s account. The stolen vehicle was located in Lake Oswego, Oregon, leading officers to Ojeda, who reportedly drove the vehicle.
Ojeda was apprehended with help from the FBI at a hotel in Illinois on January 31, where they allegedly found the woman’s jewelry. His accomplice, Arnaez-Gutierrez, was arrested in Washington and is believed to have connections to a notorious gang based in Venezuela.
Both suspects remain in custody under a $1 million bond each, with court appearances scheduled soon. The investigation continues as detectives piece together the full extent of this shocking crime spree.