SWAT officers were in Rochester on Sunday to rescue a pair of students being held against their will after being kidnapped more than a day ago.
According to NBC News, law enforcement took four suspects into custody while freeing Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke-Ewo, both 21-year-old seniors at the University of Rochester who also play for the football team.
Kollias and Okeke-Ewo were last seen around 2 a.m. on Saturday and were then reported missing that night, WHEC reported. When the SWAT team found them, one had a gunshot wound on his leg and both sustained injuries, though they are expected to recover fully.
Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli told WHEC Kollias and Okeke-Ewo were victims of a planned abduction, and that the campus is not in any danger. An investigation is ongoing and charges against the four suspects are pending, though law enforcement could make more arrests.
"I do want to point out this was a directed event and we have no information or evidence of any kind that this constituted a general threat to the University of Rochester community, nor do we have any information or evidence that there is a threat or safety concern to the University of Rochester community at this point," Ciminelli said in a statement, according to The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Rochester Police Department and Public Safety seek information on missing students pic.twitter.com/PFltDiglai
— Rochester NY Police (@RochesterNYPD) December 6, 2015
The police are not disclosing much details about the suspects, potential arrests, or potential charges for those already in custody.
"Tonight the University of Rochester Student Community and our entire city can be grateful for the professionalism and dedication of the Rochester police Department and particularly our SWAT Team," Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren said in a statement. "As our city's Mayor and also as a mother I am grateful that our police officers helped make the ultimate outcome of tonight's situation a good one. Many thanks to Chief Ciminelli and his officers for a job well done."
