Boy, 7, Returned to Parents a Day After Abduction
SHERMAN OAKS — After being held 20 hours by two armed kidnappers, the 7-year-old grandson of a successful Southern California restaurateur was returned unharmed to his anxious parents Saturday morning at a Northridge hospital.
The boy, Matthew Simms, grandson of Arthur J. Simms, owner of the chain of Mimi’s Cafes, was kidnapped at 12:30 p.m. Friday after two masked men burst into the youngster’s Sherman Oaks home and forced his mother and a maid to the floor at gunpoint, police said.
The boy’s return capped an unusual series of events in which Los Angeles police, concerned for the boy’s safety by a “very threatening call†from the kidnappers, appealed to local television and radio stations and newspapers to call the incident a home invasion rather than a kidnapping.
All the media complied.
“The press was very instrumental in the release of the kid,†Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lt. Anthony Alba said.
The kidnappers remained at large Saturday evening.
Friday afternoon, news reporters and camera crews swarmed around the family’s neighborhood when word of the abduction spread.
After taking the boy, the two kidnappers drove away in a red car, eluding a citywide tactical alert by Los Angeles police and an intensive search of the neighborhood. Police continued their search throughout the night.
But on Saturday morning, a woman who lived at the residence where the kidnappers kept the boy waited until they fell asleep and then spirited Matthew away, said Frank Groff, a spokesman for the restaurant chain. The woman drove the boy to Northridge Hospital Medical Center and dropped him off at about 8 a.m. A doctor later examined the boy and found him unharmed.
A family member said the woman fed the boy pizza and a soda. Soon after being dropped off at the hospital, Matthew was reunited with his parents, Scott and Rochelle Simms, who immediately went into seclusion.
More than 30 detectives have worked on the investigation, police said. They are looking for two Latinos, both with dark hair and brown eyes. One is believed to be between 20 and 30 years old. The other is in his late 30s or early 40s.
Authorities said the events began when the family’s maid answered a knock at the rear door of the Simms’ two-story home in the 4300 block of Sutton Place. The maid suffered a minor back injury when kidnappers forced her to the floor.
Two painters were working upstairs, but were unaware what was going on below, according to police. During the abduction, someone managed to trigger a silent alarm that brought police from the Van Nuys Division.
The kidnappers called about an hour later, police said, threatening to kill the boy if their demands were not met. Police declined to reveal the demands.
“They meant business,†Alba said.
Police believe the kidnapping was planned, rather than a crime of opportunity. “Apparently they took what they wanted,†Alba said, referring to Matthew.
Police said they asked news organizations to report the incident as a home invasion rather than a kidnapping because they feared publicity would panic the kidnappers and cause them to harm the child.
Pat Casey, managing editor of KCBS-TV Channel 2, said he could recall only a handful of such police requests over the past 15 years.
“They were similar situations,†he said. “The police judged an individual’s safety was in immediate danger. . . . It was their judgment. We had to go on faith.â€
The blackout was put in place as police sealed off the neighborhood and brought in dogs to search for the kidnappers. In issuing the citywide tactical alert, police were asking for help from other divisions to find the kidnappers.
Alba said he would neither confirm nor deny any information about the person who brought Matthew to the hospital.
“We are still trying to find the suspects and we would be concerned for her safety if they knew she took their bonanza away,†he said. Police also declined to talk about potential suspects.
At the request of the LAPD, the FBI dispatched two agents to the Van Nuys Division to “confer and offer assistance.†But FBI spokesman John Hoos said the investigation is being handled strictly by the LAPD.
The FBI may have jurisdiction when a person is taken against their will or with force, held for ransom, held more than 24 hours or taken across state lines. “The key is it depends on the local agency to ask for assistance,†Hoos said.
As police brought Matthew and his parents together, friends stood vigil at the family’s home Saturday to greet them when they returned.
Michael Chiklis, star of the television police drama “The Commish,†said, “We’re all standing here to get closer as neighbors and to share in the joy and excitement of their return.â€
Chiklis, who moved into the neighborhood three weeks ago, said the incident did not shake his sense of security.
Thomas Simms, Matthew’s uncle, said, “This probably is the safest neighborhood in the whole city. No matter how safe a neighborhood is, if somebody wants to break into a house, they can.â€
Matthew’s grandfather, Arthur Simms, once operated the MGM commissary and then founded several high-concept Los Angeles restaurants, Groff said. The Mimi’s Cafe chain, which has more than 20 stores, is his most recent venture. Arthur Simms also operated Ben Frank’s, a restaurant and longtime Hollywood landmark that is now closed, Groff said.
Arthur Simms is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the corporation, which is being handled by his son Thomas. His other son, Matthew’s father, Scott, operates one of the restaurants. Dun & Bradstreet reported last May the chain had annual sales in excess of $43 million and employs 2,000 workers.
Times staff writers John Johnson, Thomas Schultz and Jose Cardenas contributed to this story.
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