Klamath Falls OR kidnapping victim escaped with suspect's gun: court documents

The victim "briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape," the affidavit stated

by: Andrew Foran

Posted: Aug 2, 2023 / 11:37 AM PDT

Updated: Aug 2, 2023 / 05:00 PM PDT

Editor’s Note: Details in this story may be disturbing to some readers.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — New court documents filed by federal authorities reveal how a woman who was kidnapped in Seattle and thrown into a cinderblock cell in a Klamath Falls home escaped the nightmare and show disturbing evidence investigators found suggesting the further plans the man accused of kidnapping had.

According to the court documents, Negasi Zuberi, who also goes by the names Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi, kidnapped a woman from the streets of Seattle and sexually assaulted the victim along the 450-mile journey to Klamath Falls before locking her in a cinderblock cell inside of his home’s garage.

The events began in Seattle just after midnight on July 15, where the documents say that Zuberi approached the victim near Aurora Avenue and solicited prostitution.

Afterward, Zuberi claimed to be a police officer and showed the victim a badge saying he needed to take the victim into custody, according to the documents, adding that he then pointed a taser at the victim before putting her in handcuffs and leg irons and putting her in the back of his car.

Zuberi then drove from Seattle, Washington to Klamath Falls, Oregon, and when the victim questioned why the trip was taking so long, she told investigators Zuberi claimed to be taking her to a “substation,” she said that was when she knew she was being kidnapped.

During the drive, the court documents said that Zuberi stopped along the road and forced the woman to perform sexual acts before she was put back into the car and he continued south.

Finally, at a gas station north of Klamath Falls, the documents say that Zuberi put a backward sweatshirt on the victim covering her face before driving to his home at 1336 North El Dorado Ave.

At the house, the documents say that Zuberi put the victim into a cinderblock cell that was built in his garage. The cell had a reversed door that could only be opened from the outside. After the victim was in the cell, Zuberi left claiming he had paperwork to do.

The victim “briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape,” the affidavit stated, adding that she “repeatedly banged on the door and was able to break the door open and escape the room.”

Once outside the cell, the victim said she found Zuberi’s car and when she opened it, she found a handgun, which she took before fleeing the house and flagging down a motorist who called 911.

After going to a local hospital for a sexual assault examination, the victim rode with law enforcement and identified the house where officers said they found blood on a fence that the victim had climbed over.

Interviews with neighbors and Zuberi’s wife confirmed he was associated with the residence and the documents said the victim was able to accurately describe Zuberi’s physical description.

After receiving a warrant, law enforcement searched the home where they found the cinderblock cell as well as the victim’s purse which was found outside the cell. The documents also say that they found a firearm box that matched the serial number of the handgun the victim took.

Handwritten notes were also found in the home, detailing plans to kidnap someone as well as build as plans to build a bunker 100 feet underground.

Zuberi was found in Reno, Nevada on July 16 in a Walmart parking lot holding one of his children in the front seat of his car while he talked to his wife, according to law enforcement.

The court documents say that law enforcement contacted him and he refused to leave the vehicle and cut himself with a sharp object causing him to bleed heavily. The documents also said he tried to destroy his phone. The child was unharmed.

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“If she didn’t do what she did, we wouldn’t be here today and Mr. Zuberi would not be in custody,” Klamath Falls Police Captain Rob Reyolds said in a press conference on Wednesday. “I want to personally thank her for her bravery and what she did to get through that ordeal.”