It began as a ride-share pickup but quickly descended into a terrifying, multi-state ordeal. Federal court documents released Tuesday reveal a harrowing account of a Lyft driver who was choked, threatened with execution, and held captive by three inmates who had just broken out of a jail near Atlanta.
The three fugitives—including a murder suspect—managed to slip out of the DeKalb County Jail early Monday before commandeering the woman’s vehicle to flee toward South Florida.
According to an FBI affidavit, the ambush was calculated. After escaping the detention facility, the men, identified as Stevenson Charles, 24, Naod Yohannes, 25, and Yusuf Minor, 31, allegedly used a fake name to order the ride. When the driver arrived, the situation turned violent instantly.
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The affidavit details how the men looped a rope around the driver’s neck from behind, dragging her into the backseat. For the next six to ten hours, the woman was held prisoner in her own vehicle as the fugitives sped south. Investigators say she endured “increased threats of being shot, raped, and tortured” while the men attempted to access her online banking and phone records.
The Escape
The breakout itself highlighted crumbling infrastructure at the DeKalb County Jail. DeKalb County Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins admitted the inmates were able to “compromise” a portion of a cell to get out, though he withheld specific details to prevent copycat attempts.
Sheriff Melody Maddox was blunt about the state of the building, describing the jail in Decatur as an “aging facility that’s deteriorating right before our eyes.”
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Once outside, authorities say the trio contacted an accomplice who drove them to a nearby home before they hailed the Lyft using a fake female profile.
The Manhunt and Capture
The fugitives’ run for freedom ended in Miramar, Florida, thanks largely to automated license plate readers that alerted law enforcement to the vehicle’s location.
When officers located the car and attempted a stop, one inmate bailed out and ran but was quickly arrested alongside a second suspect. The investigation led police to a short-term rental home—booked using the kidnapped driver’s credit card—where they apprehended the third inmate and rescued the victim.
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“As you can imagine, the Lyft driver is very traumatized by this,” said U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown.
Violent Histories
All three men now face federal charges of kidnapping and escape, adding to their criminal records.
Authorities had issued urgent warnings regarding Stevenson Charles specifically. Before the escape, Charles had been sentenced to life in prison for bank robbery and kidnapping and was transferred to DeKalb on December 5 to face a separate murder charge.
His history includes a violent 2022 incident in South Florida, where he allegedly used the dating app Grindr to lure a victim before holding him at gunpoint and forcing him to withdraw cash from various banks.
Back in DeKalb County, officials stated that the compromised section of the jail has been repaired, and a review is underway to fortify similar areas of the facility.
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