Teenagers found safe after ‘kidnapper’ shot dead

Two teenage girls who were kidnapped at gunpoint from a lovers’ lane were found alive today after the suspected abductor was killed in a police shootout.

Tamara Brooks, 16, and Jacqueline Marris, 17, were snatched early this morning in northern Los Angeles County by a man who left the girls’ boyfriends bound and blindfolded.

A massive police manhunt was launched across California after one of the men managed to break free and alert detectives.

The girls were eventually rescued when Roy Ratliff, who was wanted on unrelated rape charges, was shot and killed by police. The girls were said to be unharmed.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Captain Tom Pigott had earlier described the search as a ‘‘a life-and-death situation’’.

Joshua Brown, 18, who was with Miss Brooks when she was kidnapped, said he heard a car pull into the parking lot at around 1am today.

Moments later the gunmen was at his window with a semi-automatic handgun.

‘‘He told me to give him all my money,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought he was going to kill us.’’

The gunman left the girl in the truck and tied Mr Brown to a nearby pole.

‘‘He told me he was going to kill me, but he didn’t want to,’’ he said.

‘‘He actually just wanted to tie me up. He wanted the truck ... It sounded like he was trying to decide if he was going to kill me or not.’’

Sammie Brooks, Tamara’s father, said after the rescue: ‘‘I never lost hope.

‘‘When I found out some things about the situation and who was working on it, I felt much better.

‘‘Tamara is very, very strong-willed person,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s going to take her a while to get over this, but she’ll be fine.’’