Four Texas teens have been charged with aggravated kidnapping after authorities say they lured a former classmate away from Del Valle High School, tied him up at gunpoint, and tortured him in a garage in Travis County. Investigators said the attack happened after the victim had been talking to one suspect's girlfriend.
The suspects are all 17-year-old former Del Valle High School students identified in court records as Jose Rojas-Alvarado, Oscar Armando Santiago-Martinez, Angel Lemus-Perez, and Carlos Roberto Oliva-Villeda.
Prosecutors say the case is being handled as a first-degree felony, and the teens could face 5 to 99 years in prison if convicted, according to CBS Austin.
According to arrest affidavits cited by local outlets, the incident began on Feb. 19, 2026, when the victim left the school with three of the suspects and was told they were going to get pizza. Instead, they were taken to a gas station and then to a home in the 13300 block of FM 969, where a fourth suspect was waiting.
Investigators say the victim was brought into a detached garage and then restrained with duct tape while one suspect held a gun to the back of his head. Court documents say the others beat him with an aluminum bat, a walking cane, and a belt, and forced him to drink alcohol.
The victim also told police he was burned, threatened with death, and warned not to contact law enforcement. One report said the assault was recorded, and another said the suspects used a plastic bag to suffocate him while threatening him with a machete and chainsaw, Yahoo News reported.
Authorities say the victim was later dropped off at another location and eventually reported the attack. Investigators documented bruising and contusions on his back, chest, and legs, and said at least some of the suspects later admitted the attack had been planned about a week earlier.
School district officials said the four accused teens are no longer enrolled in Del Valle ISD. The Travis County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to all media requests for comment, as per People.
