DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Southwest Detroit man in his 60s was kidnapped from outside his home, beaten and left inside a burning SUV on the city's east side in what police say was a targeted attack.
Detroit Police responded around 6 a.m. to reports of a vehicle fire in an empty field near Mount Elliott and Nevada Street. When officers arrived, they found the victim inside the burning SUV.
See the full story from Faraz Javed in the video below
"I heard that it was an attempted robbery, they tied a man up, threw him inside and lit it on fire," said Simon Jarjis, who owns a liquor store two blocks from the scene.
The attack began around 5 a.m. when suspects took the man against his will from outside his home in Southwest Detroit near Vernor and Lawndale. The attackers drove off in the victim's black SUV, traveling nearly 20 minutes across the city before pulling into the empty field.
Security footage captured the scene where police found the victim beaten and left inside the burning vehicle. The man's wife was also tied up inside their home but was unharmed, police confirmed.
The victim was rushed to the hospital and is currently in stable condition.
"To hear the story behind it that's even worse. He and his wife being tied up, and then left the way he was, that's someone's father, brother, grandfather, friend," said Karri Pnzak, who lives a block away from where the SUV was found burning.
Pnzak was awakened by fire trucks rushing to the scene.
The location where the SUV was abandoned appears to have been deliberately chosen by the suspects, according to residents.
"Oh yeah they had to, from you to come from Southwest Detroit, to all the way over here... Why over here?" Pnzak said.
The area is typically quiet during morning hours, residents said. The investigation is ongoing and police are searching for the suspects.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Detroit Police.
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