Don L Duck
New Member
Here's the whole story as read in the Orlando Sentinal. Carjackers abduct 5 at nightspot
Four spring-break tourists and a Downtown Disney employee were abducted and robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday in the Pleasure Island parking lot. Orange County sheriff's investigators have identified at least two suspects.
Detectives said the four tourists -- Katie Soderdahl, 21, and Rachel Felderman, 19, both of Minnesota; Chad Matys, 25, of Pennsylvania, and Jeremy Curley, 21, of Massachusetts -- and music-store clerk George "Scott" Whittenberg, 24, of Orlando were frightened but otherwise unharmed.
Authorities said they are searching for Carlos Irizarry, 23, and Valerie Lopez, 26, in connection with the robberies.
Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said the victims picked Irizarry out of a photo lineup as one of the abductors who forced the tourists into a car at gunpoint and drove them around for hours after robbing them.
Solomons said Lopez is wanted on other felony charges in Osceola County and is thought to be the same woman who is seen using one of the victims' ATM cards.
Investigators said they think the separate abductions of Whittenberg and the tourists were committed by members of the same crime ring.
A gunman in the Pleasure Island parking lot confronted Whittenberg about 1 a.m. after the store clerk left work at the Virgin Megastore in Downtown Disney.
The robber forced Whittenberg into the trunk of his car, took his cash, credit cards and ATM cards, forced him to tell his personal identification numbers and then bound his hands.
Whittenberg told detectives he was driven around for about four hours before his car was left at an International Drive apartment complex and he kicked out the rear seat to escape.
Meanwhile, the tourists faced a similar ordeal.
Soderdahl and Felderman, college friends on spring break, along with Matys and Curley were surprised in the parking lot about 2 a.m. by a gunman who forced his way into their car, authorities said. The gunman ordered one of the tourists to drive the red rental car to a nearby convenience store where detectives said he was joined by two men and a woman driving a late-model, dark-colored sport utility vehicle.
The victims were tied up, robbed of their credit cards and cash and driven around for several hours, authorities said. They were taken to a remote area, thought to be in the south I-Drive area, where deputies said both vehicles became stuck in the sand. Investigators said the robbers hid their victims in the woods and called a tow-truck operator who came and freed the cars.
Authorities said the kidnappers eventually drove the tourists to a resort, where they escaped and called for help.
Sheryll Soderdahl, Katie's mother, said from her Watertown, Minn., home Tuesday night that she was grateful her daughter, a national equestrian champion, was released unharmed.
"Think about what the worst case scenario could have been," she said. "They [the kidnappers] had them out in a deserted area and could have left them there."
Disney officials, who provided a place for the tourists to spend the night, said they were taking extra precautions Tuesday night.
Greta Snitkin, a victim's advocate for the sheriff's office, attributed the safe ending to the way the visitors kept their composure.
Snitkin said one of the young women engaged her abductor in casual conversation by asking about his weapon.
"She asked, 'What kind of gun is that?' which the others thought was funny," Snitkin said. "And he told her, which was funnier."
Four spring-break tourists and a Downtown Disney employee were abducted and robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday in the Pleasure Island parking lot. Orange County sheriff's investigators have identified at least two suspects.
Detectives said the four tourists -- Katie Soderdahl, 21, and Rachel Felderman, 19, both of Minnesota; Chad Matys, 25, of Pennsylvania, and Jeremy Curley, 21, of Massachusetts -- and music-store clerk George "Scott" Whittenberg, 24, of Orlando were frightened but otherwise unharmed.
Authorities said they are searching for Carlos Irizarry, 23, and Valerie Lopez, 26, in connection with the robberies.
Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said the victims picked Irizarry out of a photo lineup as one of the abductors who forced the tourists into a car at gunpoint and drove them around for hours after robbing them.
Solomons said Lopez is wanted on other felony charges in Osceola County and is thought to be the same woman who is seen using one of the victims' ATM cards.
Investigators said they think the separate abductions of Whittenberg and the tourists were committed by members of the same crime ring.
A gunman in the Pleasure Island parking lot confronted Whittenberg about 1 a.m. after the store clerk left work at the Virgin Megastore in Downtown Disney.
The robber forced Whittenberg into the trunk of his car, took his cash, credit cards and ATM cards, forced him to tell his personal identification numbers and then bound his hands.
Whittenberg told detectives he was driven around for about four hours before his car was left at an International Drive apartment complex and he kicked out the rear seat to escape.
Meanwhile, the tourists faced a similar ordeal.
Soderdahl and Felderman, college friends on spring break, along with Matys and Curley were surprised in the parking lot about 2 a.m. by a gunman who forced his way into their car, authorities said. The gunman ordered one of the tourists to drive the red rental car to a nearby convenience store where detectives said he was joined by two men and a woman driving a late-model, dark-colored sport utility vehicle.
The victims were tied up, robbed of their credit cards and cash and driven around for several hours, authorities said. They were taken to a remote area, thought to be in the south I-Drive area, where deputies said both vehicles became stuck in the sand. Investigators said the robbers hid their victims in the woods and called a tow-truck operator who came and freed the cars.
Authorities said the kidnappers eventually drove the tourists to a resort, where they escaped and called for help.
Sheryll Soderdahl, Katie's mother, said from her Watertown, Minn., home Tuesday night that she was grateful her daughter, a national equestrian champion, was released unharmed.
"Think about what the worst case scenario could have been," she said. "They [the kidnappers] had them out in a deserted area and could have left them there."
Disney officials, who provided a place for the tourists to spend the night, said they were taking extra precautions Tuesday night.
Greta Snitkin, a victim's advocate for the sheriff's office, attributed the safe ending to the way the visitors kept their composure.
Snitkin said one of the young women engaged her abductor in casual conversation by asking about his weapon.
"She asked, 'What kind of gun is that?' which the others thought was funny," Snitkin said. "And he told her, which was funnier."
but every other time the bus drivers have been really great. OOPs sorta off the subject here ..sorry folks 
one bad bus driver in 12 years ..heck thats pretty good odds ..maybe he was just having a rotten day .. but I really believe going back to the topic your much safer if you stay on-site not driving back and forth to P.I. DD. or DMV. and add to that specially if your going to P.I. and have been drinking. You sure would be smarter to go by bus and not take the chance of an accident that might not just ruin your vacation but ruin someone else entire life 
