'Consensual' Kidnapping Causes Scare On UC Berkeley Campus

BERKELEY, CA — Police say what they thought was a kidnapping at UC Berkeley on Tuesday night turned out to be consensual and that no crime happened.

A witness reported seeing a group of 8 to 10 college-aged males grab another male near Stephens Hall at around 11:53 p.m. and carry him into a cargo van, the University of California Police Department, Berkeley said.

"The witness did not hear any sounds of distress, but did hear giggling and laughing," police told Patch. "UCPD has not received any missing person reports since the initial report of the suspicious incident."

Campus police announced Wednesday morning that they were investigating the incident as an apparent aggravated assault and kidnapping.

On Wednesday afternoon, police said the person they believed had been kidnapped came forward, reported the acts were "consensual" and that no crime had happened.

"The case has been closed," police said.

This is a developing story. Check back later.