A neighbor’s request for a cup of sugar turned into a hostage situation for a 99-year-old and his wife.

Neighborly request for cup of sugar turns into hostage situation

Louis and Irene Rosen held hostage after neighbor asks for sugar

Leonard Benitez arrested in incident

Louis and Irene Rosen were happy to help their neighbor’s son, Leonard Benitez, when he asked to borrow a cup of sugar. They welcomed him inside, but he had other plans.

Authorizes said Benitez, 45, threatened the couple with a gun and a knife. He told them what he really wanted was $50,000 and ordered them to give him their banking information.

“I was scared to death,” Irene Rosen said.

Authorities said Benitez struck Louis in the head with his gun. Luckily, Irene was able to call 911 and escaped when the Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrived.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office swat team surrounded the home and after holding Louis hostage for about two hours, Benitez surrendered.

Louis was taken to North Broward Health to be treated for the lacerations he suffered when Benitez hit him in the head with the gun.

“I try to think of the positive and say, ‘What an adventure we had,’ an adventure I could have done without,” Irene said.

Benitez remains in the Broward County jail.