The female driver was told repeatedly not to struggle or she would be raped, tortured and killed, according to Florida officials.
Three men who escaped a Georgia jail were arrested Monday in Florida, accused of hijacking a Lyft ride-share and kidnapping the driver after putting a rope around her neck, according to a criminal complaint.
Stevenson Charles, 24, Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25, escaped DeKalb County Jail — roughly 10 miles east of Atlanta — on Sunday, according to the criminal complaint filed in Florida’s Southern District on Tuesday.
In the early hours of Monday, the trio then hailed a Lyft car that the driver later told authorities was requested by a woman, the complaint says. Prosecutors said Minor’s girlfriend helped call the Lyft, according to the complaint.
Upon arrival to the requested destination, the Lyft driver unlocked the vehicle for the three men to exit the car, according to the complaint. Instead, one of the men wrapped a rope around her neck from behind, the complaint says.
Prosecutors did not state the driver’s name or age.
The driver’s hands were then bound and dragged to the backseat of the vehicle, where she was instructed to keep her head down and eyes closed, the complaint states. She was told repeatedly not to struggle or she would be killed, according to the complaint. The trio also threatened to rape and torture her, according to the complaint.
She estimated she was kidnapped for up to 10 hours, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said that the trio used the driver’s credit cards to rent a short-term rental property in Miramar, Florida, a town roughly 25 miles north of Miami. At some point, Charles and Yohannes left the rental property in the Lyft driver’s vehicle while Minor remained behind, according to the complaint.
The driver’s stolen vehicle was then detected by authorities with the help of license plate readers, prompting Charles’ and Yohannes’ arrests, prosecutors said. Minor was arrested shortly afterward at the short-term rental, where authorities recovered the victim, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said the driver was checked by emergency medical services, but did not specify if she suffered any physical injuries.
Minor and Yohannes were serving life sentences for murder, according to online inmate records. Charles was jailed on murder and armed robbery charges, according to the records.
A spokesperson for the DeKalb County Jail, Cynthia Williams, said that the “incident continues to be investigated” and declined to comment further. It is not clear if the three inmates have legal representation at this time.
Lyft did not immediately return requests for comment.
@ NBC News
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