Three men who escaped DeKalb County Jail allegedly hijacked a Lyft in Florida, put a rope around the driver’s neck, bound her and held her for up to 10 hours, prosecutors say. The suspects used the driver’s credit cards to book a short-term rental in Miramar; license plate readers helped trace the stolen vehicle and led to arrests. Two of the men were serving life sentences and the third faced murder and armed robbery charges. The recovered driver was examined by emergency services and the incident remains under federal investigation.
Three Escaped Georgia Inmates Allegedly Kidnap Lyft Driver, Put Rope Around Her Neck — Held Up to 10 Hours
The DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, Ga. (Elijah Nouvelage / Reuters file)
Three men who escaped from a Georgia jail were arrested in Florida after federal prosecutors say they hijacked a Lyft, put a rope around the driver’s neck and held her captive for up to 10 hours, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. Southern District of Florida.
Who Was Involved
The complaint identifies the suspects as Stevenson Charles, 24; Yusuf Minor, 31; and Naod Yohannes, 25. Prosecutors say the trio escaped from DeKalb County Jail, roughly 10 miles east of Atlanta, on Sunday and were taken into custody in Florida on Monday.
Alleged Crime
According to the complaint, the men hailed a Lyft that was requested by a woman — prosecutors say Minor’s girlfriend assisted in summoning the ride. When the vehicle reached the requested drop-off point, one of the men approached the driver from behind, placed a rope around her neck and bound her hands. The suspects dragged the driver into the back seat, ordered her to keep her head down and repeatedly threatened to kill, rape or torture her if she resisted.
The driver later told investigators she believed she was held for as long as 10 hours.
How They Were Traced and Arrested
Prosecutors say the suspects used the driver’s credit cards to reserve a short-term rental in Miramar, Florida, about 25 miles north of Miami. At some point Charles and Yohannes left the rental in the stolen vehicle while Minor remained behind. License plate readers helped authorities locate the stolen car, leading to the arrests of Charles and Yohannes; Minor was arrested shortly afterwards at the rental, where officers recovered the driver.
Victim and Legal Status
Emergency medical services checked the driver after her recovery; prosecutors did not specify whether she sustained physical injuries. Online inmate records show Minor and Yohannes were serving life sentences for murder, while Charles faced charges that included murder and armed robbery.
Official response: A DeKalb County Jail spokesperson, Cynthia Williams, said the incident remains under investigation and declined further comment. Lyft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
