LUBBOCK, Texas — An arrest warrant against Damian Ray Villarreal, 25, provided new details into the criminal case against him for aggravated kidnapping. Villarreal and Dakota Valderas, 23, were arrested in Arizona this week for the Lubbock kidnapping case.
The warrant said Valderas lured Ryan Anthony Lara to her apartment in the 4600 block of 71st Street on January 11. From there, Villarreal and two other “unknown suspects” grabbed him and tied him up, according to the warrant.
“He was kidnapped and beat for almost twenty-four hours straight,” a police report said.
A police report was disclosed Friday morning before the release of the warrant. The police report had already publicly revealed that Villarreal and two other men would beat Lara “every couple of minutes.”
The warrant provided further details including the extent of Lara’s injuries.
Lara after-the-fact told police that a gun was held to his head and a machete was placed at his neck. He told police, according to the warrant, that he was given the choice to leave Lubbock and never come back or to die.
The warrant also revealed that Lara said he was blindfolded, bound by duct tape and put in the back seat of a vehicle. At one point he was tied up with rope and put in the trunk of the vehicle, the warrant said.
At another point, the car was taken to a residence and parked in a garage, the warrant said.
The warrant said Lara was able to get free of the duct tape and jump out of a moving vehicle to escape.
WARNING: the next few paragraphs include graphic details. Viewer discretion is advised.
A police officer was called to Covenant Medical Center to talk with Lara.
“I observed a section of hair on the bed,” the warrant said. “It had a piece of Lara’s scalp still attached.”
“I observed Lara’s face to have several scrapes, cuts and bruises,” the warrant said. “Lara’s back had a large area of road rash on it. It was mostly on the left side of his back and hip.”
There were other injuries to his arms and feet.
The warrant said as part of the kidnapping, Villarreal and the other suspects stole Lara’s car. It was found in a hotel parking lot. Police took fingerprint evidence. After-the-fact Lara picked out Villarreal from a photo lineup.
Lara’s dad was told about the kidnapping shortly after his son escaped. He went to Valderas’ apartment.
“He even followed the female captor to Walmart where he had the opportunity to hurt or kill the female,” the warrant said.
“I found Dakota, and I could have killed her,” the dad was quoted as saying in the warrant.
“But he didn’t because he came to the self-realization that he could not protect his family if he were to get arrested for taking justice into his own hands,” the warrant said.
The warrant concludes by saying “the other suspects” remain under investigation.
As for why, this happened: Lara said he was accused by his captors of being friends with someone who went to jail for sexual assault, and his captors accused him of beating up Valderas.
Related Links:
Lubbock Police arrest 2 suspects for aggravated kidnapping
Who is kidnapping suspect Damian Ray Villarreal and why do many of you recognize his name?
