A trio of inmates who busted out of a Georgia county jail allegedly held an unsuspecting Lyft driver hostage and commandeered her car — forcing her to tag along on their escape to Florida, where they were finally apprehended.
Yusuf Minor, 31; Noad Yohannes, 25; and accused killer Stevenson Charles, 24, broke out of the DeKalb County Jail early Monday morning, though their escape wasn’t noticed until a routine security check that day, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
The three men were picked up by a car waiting near the jail and trekked to Minor’s girlfriend’s place, according to court documents published by Local 10.
Minor’s girlfriend, whose name was not shared, allegedly ordered a Lyft ride for the escapees.
The driver, an unidentified woman, drove them to the requested location in Atlanta — where the men allegedly strangled her with a rope, tied her up and forced her into the back seat of her car.
The runaway inmates then took control of the Lyft driver’s car while she was trussed up in the back, fearing for her life as they lobbed repeated threats at her. She tried, and failed, to escape during a pitstop in Florida, and after that, the men’s threats became more violent, according to the documents.
The woman’s abductors were all in jail for violent crimes. Charles was arrested on murder charges and attempted robbery. Minor was wanted for armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, while Yohannes was cuffed for simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.
After a torturous, hours-long drive, the fugitives stopped in Miramar, Fla. and used the Lyft driver’s credit cards to pay for a short-term rental home, authorities alleged.
Authorities were able to flag the erroneous charge on the Lyft driver’s card and used license plate readers to link her vehicle to the alleged kidnapping and jail break.
Florida police attempted to conduct a felony vehicle stop, but the escapee driving the car sped off.
Charles and Yohannes, the only two in the car at the time, eventually ditched the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. Somewhere along the way, Charles got hold of a loaded 9mm handgun, according to court documents, before he and Yohannes were caught.
Police attempted to reach the kidnapped woman at the rental residence, but didn’t receive a response. They eventually made contact with Minor through an open window at the abode and instructed him to exit.
The unscathed victim walked out first — with Minor just behind her as he surrendered to the cops, according to the documents.
“As you can imagine, the Lyft driver is very traumatized by this,” an official said.
Charles, Minor, and Yohannes were booked in the Broward County Jail and are expected to face additional charges. They are all listed on hold for the US Marshals’ Office, though it’s unclear if or when they’ll be extradited back to Georgia.
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