The American girl who was kidnapped and joined the notorious criminals

(Web Desk) Patty Hearst was a 19-year-old University of California student who was kidnapped from her apartment in February 1974.

She was not an ordinary girl nor was she kidnapped by an ordinary criminal. Patty Hearst was the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, the owner of a large media business empire, and the heir to a portion of his business.

The group that abducted them was known as the ‘Symbionese Liberation Army’ (SLA).

Two months after the abduction, Petty came into the public eye again, but the scene was strange because she was robbing a bank with her kidnappers armed.

Director Robert Stone, who made a documentary on Patty Hearst’s life, says it was when ‘she was on the cover of Time magazine. Everyone wanted to talk about it.’

‘Everyone wanted to know if she had joined them? Who are they? It was quite a mysterious thing.’

It should be noted that this was the time when, despite the end of the Vietnam War, US President Richard Nixon was in the news due to the Watergate scandal in American politics.

However, the abduction of a young girl from a rich family and her subsequent ‘rebellion’ became more popular.

Leslie Jersa is the producer of ‘The Taking of Patty Hearst’.

She says that after abducting Patti, the abductors tied her up and locked her in a closet where she remained imprisoned for 57 days. They were constantly brainwashed, they were rapped.’

“The SLA called themselves revolutionaries,” says Stone. Apparently, this organization said that they wanted the end of President Nixon’s dictatorship.

When Patty was kidnapped, the SLA initially demanded millions of dollars in food donations for the people of California in exchange for his release, but Patty’s father blocked the negotiations.

“The SLA told Patty you can join us or you can die,” says Leslie.

‘Whereupon she picked up a gun and joined them.’

On April 3, Petty herself announced that she had become a regular part of the organization and that her new name was ‘Tanya’. In his statement, he also condemned his parents.

Shortly after, he becomes a part of a bank robbery. Interestingly, this bank belonged to his friend’s father.

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After a bank robbery, Petey’s way back into his life is blocked. Now she had become a famous criminal wanted by the FBI.

‘A lot of people started to hate him,’ says Leslie.

Meanwhile, there was a clash between the SLA and the police in which six members of the criminal gang were killed. Tanya was not there at the time, but among those killed was Willie Wolfe, who kidnapped Patty.

The clash between the SLA members and the police was shown live on TV. Later, when Petty expressed regret over Willie Wolf’s death, this also went against him.

For nearly a year, Petty managed to remain hidden from the authorities, but on September 18, 1975, he was arrested and charged with the Hibernia Bank robbery.

She was the only SLA member to face the trial. The media called this case ‘the case of the century’.

“Petty was considered the face of the violent leftist movement during this period,” says Stone. However, Leslie says that Patty was tricked.

Patty Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison, but after serving two years in prison, her sentence was commuted by then-President Jimmy Carter.

After his release, Petty testified against the SLA and was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001.