Three Georgia prison escapees were arrested in Florida on Monday, accused of hijacking a Lyft ride-share and killing the driver by placing a rope around his neck, according to a criminal complaint.
Stevenson Charles, 24, Joseph Miner, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25, escaped from the DeKalb County Jail, about 10 miles east of Atlanta, on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.
The complaint said that in the early hours of Monday, the trio hailed a Lyft car, the driver of which later told authorities that a woman had requested it. According to the complaint, prosecutors said Miner’s girlfriend helped call Lyft.
According to the complaint, upon reaching the requested destination, the Lyft driver unlocked the vehicle to allow the three people to exit the car. Instead, one of the men wrapped a rope around her neck from behind, the complaint says.
Prosecutors did not release the driver’s name or age.
The driver’s hands were tied and he was dragged to the back seat of the vehicle, where he was instructed to keep his head down and eyes closed, the complaint states. According to the complaint, he was repeatedly told not to struggle or he would be killed. According to the complaint, the trio also threatened to rape and torture her.
According to the complaint, she estimated that she was kidnapped for 10 hours.
Prosecutors said the three used the driver’s credit card to rent a short-term rental property in Miramar, Florida, a city about 25 miles north of Miami. According to the complaint, at some point, Charles and Johannes left the rental property in the Lyft driver’s vehicle, while Minor remained behind.
Prosecutors said authorities located the driver’s stolen vehicle with the help of license plate readers, leading to the arrests of Charles and Yohannes. According to the complaint, the minor was arrested a short time later at the short-term rental, where officers recovered the victim.
Prosecutors said the driver was checked by emergency medical services, but did not specify whether he suffered any physical injuries.
According to online prisoner records, Minor and Johannes were serving life sentences for murder. According to records, Charles was jailed on charges of murder and armed robbery.
DeKalb County Jail spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said “the incident remains under investigation” and declined to comment further. It is unclear whether the three prisoners have legal representation at this time.
Lyft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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