Three men who escaped Georgia jail hijacked Lyft to Florida, records show | US crime
Three men who escaped from a Georgia prison for three days hijacked a Lyft rideshare as part of a brazen attempt to escape to south Florida, according to newly released federal court documents.
Stevenson Charles, 24; Yusuf Küçük, 31; and Naod Yohannes, 25, are accused of escaping from the DeKalb county jail, located 15 miles (24 kilometers) outside Atlanta, on Sunday before being captured again in Florida on Tuesday.
The latest records provide more information about how men incarcerated for violent crimes, including murder charges, managed to escape and travel across various states.
The rideshare driver told the FBI that the trio ordered a Lyft using a fake female name. NBC News reported. Prosecutors alleged that Minor’s girlfriend helped the men order the Lyft ride.
When the driver tried to drop the men off at their location, the men attacked him, wrapped a rope around his neck and dragged him into the backseat.
The driver later told police that the men threatened to rape and kill him during the 10-hour drive to Florida.
Charles, Minor and Yohannes then used the woman’s credit cards and banking information to rent a property in Miramar, Florida, a suburb of Miami. The men also used the driver’s car while in the area. Police located the trio’s whereabouts using license plate readers, which allow law enforcement to search for wanted vehicles.
All three men were later arrested. The driver was rescued from the rental property and examined for injuries, records show.
The trio’s escape was discovered during a standard security check on Sunday.
The men managed to escape from an old part of the jail, DeKalb County chief deputy Temetris Atkins told reporters Tuesday.
“We have repaired the area that was breached and we are looking at other areas like this to harden them to make sure they are not compromised in the same way,” Atkins said.
Phone records sought by police after the trio’s escape revealed that one of the men had been in contact with people outside to avoid arrest after their escape.
Minor and Yohannes are serving life sentences on murder charges, NBC reported. Charles is being held on charges of murder and armed robbery.
