Three people were arrested Friday on suspicion of killing a man and then trying to cover up the crime by reporting to police that the victim tried to kidnap them, officials said.
The Gardena Police Department said they received a call of a kidnapping in the 13100 block of Daleside Avenue. Police say the caller explained that a man had tried to kidnap them, but they were able to resist and knock the alleged kidnapper unconscious.
Responding officers say they found the alleged kidnapper in a truck, unconscious and unresponsive. Fire department officials were called in to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead shortly after, police said.
After further investigation, police arrested the three people who reported the alleged kidnapping on suspicion of homicide.
They have been identified as 36-year-old Jennifer Nichols, 23-year-old Alejandro Terrazas and a 15-year-old juvenile who was not named because they are a minor. They are all from Hawthorne.
The victim was identified as Bradley Hayes, 34, of Hesperia.
Police think the three likely made up the kidnapping story. They were all acquaintances, said Gardena Police spokesman Steve Prendergast.
