Police are looking for Ryan Soqui, a 23-year-old male, who allegedly carjacked and kidnapped a 23-year-old Cal Poly student on the corner of Crandall and Campus Way, on the Cal Poly campus Wednesday night around 8:45.
The Cal Poly campus was bustling with people as the men’s soccer game was about to end. A female Cal Poly student, driving a silver, 2000 Audi A6 was allegedly approached by a man from outside her car while she was in stop-and-go traffic nearing a stop sign. According to police, he then asked the girl for directions through a rolled down car window.
Bill Watton, the Chief of Police at the University Police Department, said that despite numerous people being around, the situation would not have appeared threatening or abnormal to witnesses.
Soqui then entered the girl’s unlocked car and forcibly told her to drive him to a liquor store, Watton said.
“She was very fearful at that point. He pulled out a handgun near the area of Foothill and California and told her to go South on the freeway, and exited at Los Osos,” Watton said.
After switching to the driver’s seat, Soqui ordered the girl to take him to an ATM, where she could withdraw money, Watton said. The girl directed him back to an ATM machine on Foothill Blvd.
Police say Soqui waited in the car as the girl walked up to the ATM to withdraw money. Seeing an opportunity for escape, the girl sprinted to Nucci’s, a restaurant located on Foothill Blvd. and within close proximity to the ATM. When Soqui saw her enter the restaurant, he took off in her car.
Capt. Chris Staley of the San Luis Obispo Police Department said that the victim made the right choices to best ensure her safety.
“My take on it is that she did the right thing by listening to his instructions and cooperating with him initially. She took the opportunity when she saw it to flee the, which was a good decision,” Staley said.
Soqui allegedly drove the car to Grover beach, where a sheriff deputy recognized the vehicle around 10:15 p.m. A short pursuit ensued. The car Soqui was driving eventually went over an embankment and off the road. When the authorities got to the car, Soqui had already exited. They did, however, find that somewhere along the way, Soqui had picked up a passenger, who allegedly was not involved in the crime. After detaining the passenger, authorities tracked Soqui to an abandoned house that they suspected he was hiding in, Watton said.
Setting up a border around the house, authorities called the regional S.W.A.T team before entering the house around 3:30 Thursday morning. Upon entering the house, however, Soqui was nowhere to be found.
“He somehow slipped through the net and he’s been on the run ever since,” Watton said.
Staley said The University Police Department and the San Luis Obispo Police Department are currently working together to further investigate the case and follow all leads.
“We are still trying to track down the suspect. We have actively been doing that since the incident. We want to get him into custody as soon as possible,” Staley said.
Since Soqui’s location is currently unknown and he is on parole and considered armed and dangerous, Watton said that Cal Poly students and people in the community should take precautions to best ensure their safety.
“Right now we are telling students the same types of things that we do at the beginning of the school year to the incoming freshman,” Watton said. “Keep your doors locked, don’t roll your car windows down all the way, be aware of your surroundings, go out with a friend instead of traveling by yourself, and stay in well-lit areas.”
More particular to the situation, Watton said that people should not be afraid to leave an area or draw attention to themselves if they feel uncomfortable. If stuck in traffic, for example, honk the car horn so that more people look at you.
Watton also said that students should always be wary of strangers approaching them, especially on a college campus.
“It’s hard to tell students from non-students on campus. It’s easy for someone to blend in. Be wary of people, even if it’s a student because they could still be dangerous. That doesn’t mean be rude to everyone, just be careful,” Watton said.
Bethany Kegeris, a nutrition senior, said that she is going to take extra precautions during this time, including staying out of dark alleyways, always locking doors, and always trying to travel in groups.
“I think that it’s a reality check that it can happen anywhere and that it can happen to anyone. You would never think that it could happen to you. It’s just scary,” she said.
Jeff Bauer, a graphic communications senior, said he did also not expect something like this to happen.
“I’m surprised that it happened on campus. I would have thought that since there were a lot of people around it would have been less likely,” he said. “I probably won’t change anything that I currently do. I feel pretty safe on campus.”
Watton, who has been working for the University police department for seven years, said that he has never seen a kidnapping on campus.
“I want people to know that this is a safe campus. It still is. Things like this will happen from time to time,” Watton said. “It’s best to just be prepared. Have escape route and be aware of what’s around you. Always be thinking, what are you going to do if.”
The University Police Department sent out a campus-wide e-mail detailing the crime and including a picture of Soqui. Watton said that Soqui appears thinner in person than he does in the picture, has brown hair, brown eyes, about 180 pounds and is 6’1”, for reference.
Anyone with information on this crime should call the University Police Department at 805-756-2281 or the San Luis Obispo Police Department at 805-781-7317.