'I got really scared': Couple robbed, kidnapped outside Little Village restaurant they own

A couple in Chicago 's Little Village neighborhood endured a terrifying ordeal early Thursday morning when they were kidnapped and robbed outside their newly purchased restaurant.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. as the couple arrived at their business on 26th Street.

Surveillance footage from a neighboring shop captured the moment five men, three of them armed, got out of a dark vehicle and attacked the couple. The gunmen forced the pair into their restaurant, where they demanded cash. Unsatisfied with what they found, the assailants began hitting the couple.

"They grabbed my husband by the neck and put the gun on his head, and I got really scared," said Yesenia, who spoke with FOX 32 but requested not to show her face out of fear for her safety.

After taking what money was on hand, the gunmen forced the couple into their car, driving them to at least four ATMs around Little Village and demanding cash withdrawals at gunpoint. The suspects also threatened to go to the family's home and harm their children if more money wasn't provided.

"They were threatening to kill me all the time. They never removed their guns from our faces," Yesenia recalled.

The attackers eventually let the couple go, leaving them on the street before speeding away.

Alderman Michael Rodriguez, representing the 22nd Ward, called the crime "disgusting" and expressed sympathy for the couple and the community.

"What happened in that video was absolutely terrible," he said. "And I feel for my neighbors and my community members who went through such a traumatic experience. God help them. God help us."

Rodriguez confirmed he has spoken to the 10th District police and the Cook County sheriff, both of which have promised to increase patrols along 26th Street, which is the city's second-busiest business corridor after Michigan Avenue.