Los Angeles kidnap-for-ransom victim defiant in exclusive 'GMA' interview: 'I’m a survivor'
The Los Angeles actor who was a victim in an alleged kidnapping-for-ransom scheme said in an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America” that he is not a victim, but a survivor.
“I think it's a state of mind,” Joseph Capone said. “Yeah, that happened. What's tomorrow?”
Capone said he survived an extraordinary ordeal, during which he was stripped naked, pistol-whipped, forced into a bathtub and had a gun put in his mouth by his alleged captors.
The drama allegedly began on May 3 of last year at the home of actress Daisy McCrackin, who is best known for her role in “Halloween Resurrection.”
McCrackin and Capone were at McCrackin’s Los Angeles home at the time when two men entered the home, pistol-whipped Capone, absconded with the pair and drove them to a home in Compton, several miles away, according to authorities.
“He whacked me on the head with the gun and then proceeded to stomp on me and give me a pretty good beating,” Capone recounted in the interview.
One of the kidnappers then allegedly forced the pair into McCrackin’s car.
“He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me outside and drag me down the driveway and threw me in the back of a car where Daisy was already in the backseat,” Capone said. “And they put bags over our heads and then proceeded to drive.”
Capone said he was held hostage at a home in Compton -- a neighborhood in Los Angeles County -- while the other two drove off in McCrackin's 2011 red Lexus. The kidnappers allegedly drove her to multiple ATM machines, demanding a $10,000 ransom, according to an indictment.
Eventually, the trio forced McCrackin to write a $10,000 check, which was reportedly deposited into one of the kidnappers' accounts.
Meanwhile, back at the Compton house, Capone was allegedly isolated in a dingy bathroom while his captors made repeated threats on his life.
“They strip me naked and they threw me in this filthy bathroom with no lights on,” he said.
Capone said he attempted an escape, but didn’t get too far before being recaptured.
“I was seen immediately and given another solid beating and thrown back into the bathroom where one gun was put into my mouth,” he added.
Prosecutors say McCrackin was dropped at her home the next day, when she promptly called 911 to alert authorities about the alleged kidnapping and beating.
Keith Andre Stewart, Johntae Jones and Amber Neal were indicted Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court on charges that include kidnapping, assault with a firearm, grand theft, mayhem, conspiracy and possession for sale of a controlled substance, methamphetamine. The indictment was filed on June 18 and recently unsealed.
Los Angeles police investigating the incident arrested Neal at gunpoint. It remains unclear when and how the other two suspects were apprehended.
A spokesperson for the LAPD declined to detail the circumstances of the other two men’s arrests.
In a twist, Neal drew widespread support after a video showing her being arrested went viral. The video, which was viewed 3 million times, showed LAPD officers with their guns drawn on an apparently unarmed Neal.
In response to the social media backlash, the Los Angeles Police Department released a statement: “We are aware this video has raised concerns from the community. Although we are limited in what info we can release, we can confirm this individual was arrested on a felony kidnapping warrant & taken into custody without a use-of-force. She is being held on 1 million dollars bail.”
Stewart and Jones face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and Neal faces up to life in prison if convicted on the charges.
The defendants are expected to appear in court on July 23 for a pretrial hearing at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
ABC News has also learned that famed O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden is representing one of the suspects in the case.
He did not respond to a request for an interview with ABC News. Stewart's lawyer, Tiffany Blacknell, did not respond, either.
For his part, Capone survived his ordeal and remains defiant in the aftermath of the terrifying experience. Now that arrests have been made in the case, he said he’s moving on.
“I'm not a victim,” he told “GMA.”
“I'm a survivor," he said. "You know I think it's a state of mind."
