Wilson Ramos kidnapped in Venezuela

  • Wanna Join? New users you can now register lightning fast using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Jan 4, 2003
4,549
5
0
#1
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Professional baseball player Wilson Ramos, a catcher seen as one of the young building blocks for the Washington Nationals, was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela.

Ramos, a 24-year-old who just finished his rookie season, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines in central Carabobo state, the spokeswoman for his Venezuelan League team, the Aragua Tigers, said on her official Twitter account.

"This is sad, worrisome and true that Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped," Katherine Vilera wrote.


Ramos
She said Ramos was taken at 6:45 p.m. at his home in the region 95 miles west of Caracas. She said police were notified.

A person close to Ramos' family, who asked not to be quoted by name out of safety concerns, said the catcher was at home with his father and brothers when several men "entered the house and took him away."

"As of this hour, there has been no contact" between the kidnappers and Ramos' family, the person said.

Drew Storen, a relief pitcher for the Nationals, tweeted his concerns: "Extremely upsetting news about Ramo. Thoughts and prayers with him. Scary situation."

Spokesmen for the Nationals did not respond immediately to phone and email messages Wednesday night.

Ramos' agent, Diego Bentz, had no comment when reached by ESPN.com.

Ramos is considered one of the Nationals' key young players as they try to become a contender in the National League East. As a rookie in 2011, he hit .267 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs in 113 games. He also threw out 19 of 67 runners attempting to steal a base, a 28 percent success rate that ranked third among qualifying catchers in the National League.

Washington acquired Ramos from the Minnesota Twins in a trade for All-Star relief pitcher Matt Capps in July 2010.

The abduction appeared to be the first case involving a Major League Baseball player.

But in Venezuela, which is home to dozens of major league players, the families of wealthy athletes have been periodically targeted by kidnappers in hopes of a hefty ransom.

In November 2009, the then 56-year-old mother of Victor Zambrano, who retired after pitching for four teams during a seven-year major league career, was rescued in a "commando-style operation" after a three-day kidnapping ordeal.

Zambrano's mother was abducted nine days after the former pitcher's cousin, Richard Mendez Zambrano, had been kidnapped and later killed.

In June 2009, Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba's then 11-year-old son and brother-in-law were kidnapped and released a day later.

The mother of former player Ugueth Urbina, who was a two-time All-Star pitcher while playing for six teams, spent more than five months in captivity until she was rescued in early 2005.

Around the same time, the mothers of five Brazilian soccer players were abducted in Brazil, including those of star strikers Robinho and Luis Fabiano.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7214102/washington-nationals-wilson-ramos-kidnapped-home-venezuela
 

Rossibreath

triple og from the sbp
Sep 1, 2005
12,968
15,464
113
49
Menasha
#3
Who are they trying to get ransom from? The Nationals? Would make more sense to kidnap one of his family members and get the ransom from him. Not to mention he prolly doesn't make that much yet since he's on his rookie deal.
 
Mar 11, 2011
1,946
54
0
39
#5
Who are they trying to get ransom from? The Nationals? Would make more sense to kidnap one of his family members and get the ransom from him. Not to mention he prolly doesn't make that much yet since he's on his rookie deal.
Might not make much compared to A-Rod and the boys but compared to these ski masked up cats in Vanezuela dude was ballin. Probably made at least $350,000 last year.
 

BUTCHER 206

FREE BUTCHER206
Aug 22, 2003
12,316
109,201
113
Seattle, WA
#6
the army and some elite task force saved his ass, found him in some remote part of the forest or mountains or some shit and swooped in there commando style, busted at all the kidnappers, ended up arresting 5 of them.

god damn lol they went all out to get dude back, and hes grateful like a motherfucker
 

BUTCHER 206

FREE BUTCHER206
Aug 22, 2003
12,316
109,201
113
Seattle, WA
#7
Baseball Player Wilson Ramos Found Alive In Venezuela

Washington Nationals' catcher Wilson Ramos is hugged by a relative at the Criminal Police ( CICPC ) headquarters in Valencia, Venezuela, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. Venezuelan police commandos rescued Ramos and arrested three of his abductors Friday, two days after he was kidnapped. At right is Venezuela's Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami.(AP Photo/Lexander Loiza) (AP2011)

After being held captive for two day Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is finally free. After a bout of gunfire Venezuelan police managed to rescue Ramos unscathed and arrest his five alleged abductors.

Ramos said he was happy and thankful to be alive, and that the final moments had been hair-raising as police and the kidnappers exchanged heavy fire in the remote mountainous area where he was being held.

"The truth is I'm still very nervous, but thanks to God everything turned out well," Ramos told Venezuelan state television, speaking by telephone after arriving at a police station in his hometown of Valencia early Saturday.

He thanked the police and National Guard commandos who rescued him, saying "the boys did a great job."

Ramos, 24, had not been seen or heard from since he was seized at gunpoint outside his home Wednesday night and whisked away in an SUV. It was the first known kidnapping of a Major League Baseball player in Venezuela, and the abduction set off an outpouring of candlelight vigils and public prayers at stadiums as well as outside Ramos' home.

The truth is I'm still very nervous, but thanks to God everything turned out well

- Wilson Ramos

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami announced on Friday night that Ramos was "safe and sound" after the rescue. He didn't say whether anyone had been wounded in the gunfire.

Five men were arrested in the kidnapping, including a Colombian "linked to paramilitary groups and to kidnapping groups," El Aissami said.

"I don't know who those people were. I know they're Colombians by their accent," Ramos said. "Three guys grabbed me there in front of my house, they took me to another SUV and from there they took me into the mountains," in central Carabobo state.

He said his abductors spoke little to him. "They simply told me to cooperate, that they were going to ask for a ton of cash for me."

"They put me in a room with a bed. I was lying there," he said. "It was hard for me to think about, if I was going to get out alive first of all ... about how my family, my mother were."

Ramos was to first undergo medical checks at the police station and then be reunited with his family, El Aissami said.

Ramos' mother Maria Campos de Ramos celebrated, exclaiming on television: "Thanks to God!"

"Thanks to my country, to my neighbors and to my family, who were supporting us," she said. Shortly afterward, she spoke with her son by phone and said jubilantly: "He's fine."

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo hailed the news.

"I am happy to announce that I have spoken directly with Wilson and he assures me he is unharmed but eager to be reunited with his family," Rizzo said in a statement. "He asked me to thank all who played a role in his rescue, and all those who kept him and his family in their thoughts and prayers. I join Wilson in thanking the many law enforcement officials in Venezuela and investigators with Major League Baseball who worked tirelessly to ensure a positive ending to what has been a frightening ordeal."

Ramos had recently returned to his homeland after his rookie year with the Nationals to play during the offseason in the Venezuelan league.

"As soon as I feel all right, I'm going to start playing," Ramos said.

"They didn't physically harm me, but psychologically I underwent very great harm," he said.

Ramos had been just outside his house's front door with relatives on Wednesday when he was abducted in his working-class neighborhood in Valencia, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) west of Caracas. Authorities tracked down the abductors after initially locating their stolen SUV abandoned in a nearby town on Thursday.

"I was always praying to God, and thanks to God he gave me the miracle of sending me these wonderful people," Ramos said. "I'm alive thanks to them."

President Hugo Chavez had authorized the "rescue operation by air" that freed Ramos, Information Minister Andres Izarra said on his Twitter account.

Security has increasingly become a concern for Venezuelan players and their families as a wave of kidnappings has hit the wealthy as well as the middle class.

The country has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, and the vast majority of crimes go unsolved. The number of kidnappings has soared in recent years.

Major League Baseball officials said it was the first kidnapping of a major leaguer that they could recall. But relatives of several players have previously been kidnapped for ransom in Venezuela, and in two cases have been killed.

Some kidnappings in Venezuela have previously been carried out by highly organized criminal groups that demand ransom.

Bodyguards typically shadow major leaguers when they return to their homeland to play in Venezuela's baseball league.

Izarra praised the authorities' handling of the rescue, saying that the police "hit a tremendous home run."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
 

NAMO

Sicc OG
Apr 11, 2009
10,840
3,257
0
44
#8
the army and some elite task force saved his ass, found him in some remote part of the forest or mountains or some shit and swooped in there commando style, busted at all the kidnappers, ended up arresting 5 of them.

god damn lol they went all out to get dude back, and hes grateful like a motherfucker
they would of got paid nicely for it too