WESTWOOD—A Santa Monica man was charged on Thursday, October 13 with the armed kidnapping and carjacking of a man on the UCLA campus on October 3.
The suspect, Jason Levi Garzi, 42, was detained at around 1 p.m., following a traffic stop near his home. He was taken into custody without incident.
The UCLA Police Department (UCPD) alleges Garzi is responsible for the carjacking and kidnapping of a man—who has not yet been identified—on the UCLA campus last week. The event transpired at approximately 4:35 a.m. near the Center for Health and Sciences building, located toward the center of campus.
“The suspect, armed with a gun, entered the passenger side of the victim’s car instructing the victim to drive away from campus,” said the UCPD in a statement.
The victim was held for nearly four hours before he was released unharmed. He is not affiliated with UCLA, nor did he know his abductor, authorities said.
The UCPD released a composite drawing and description of the suspect on Wednesday, October 5. Garzi was described as being 5 feet and 8 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds and as a light-skinned Latino male with light brown hair and a goatee. He was seen wearing a dark t-shirt and shorts at the time of the incident.
Police have not yet determined Garzi’s motive to hold his victim hostage. The carjacked vehicle, a beige 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX, was recovered earlier this week.
“The excellent investigation by the men and women of our department led to evidence that provided leads in making this arrest possible and our community safer,” said interim chief of the UCLA police force, Manny Garza.
Canyon News reached out to the UCPD for comment, but did not hear back before print.
