DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — New documents filed in a Florida federal court on behalf of the FBI are revealing details on the kidnapping charge three escaped DeKalb County inmates now face.
The criminal complaint says Stevenson Charles, Yusuf Minor and Naod Yohannes hired a Lyft driver after escaping from jail.
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The driver told the FBI that the ride request she accepted had a woman’s name. She said she felt uneasy when she saw it was three men, but drove them to their destination.
But when they arrived, she told the FBI that instead of getting out of the car, the men wrapped a rope around her neck before tying her wrists together and forcing her into the backseat.
She says they threatened to shoot her if she did not follow their demands, including transferring money from her savings to her debit cards, so she complied.
Sometime after crossing into Florida, the Lyft tried to escape, but one of the men assaulted her and threatened to shoot, rape and torture her.
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The FBI says license plate readers found her car in Broward and Miami-Dade counties in Florida, where the men were ultimately found.
Agents learned they were staying at a short-term rental residence in Miramar, Florida.
Law enforcement later spotted the car being driven by Charles with Yohannes as the passenger.
The FBI says the two men started a chase before stopping and Charles tried running away and ditching a 9mm handgun. Both Charles and Yohannes were arrested.
When they did not find the victim or Minor, they went back to the rental residence.
They found Minor there and ordered him out of the house, but the victim walked out instead. Minor surrendered shortly after.
All three men remain in the Broward County Jail.
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