Inmates Escaped Ga. Jail Before Allegedly Kidnapping Rideshare Driver, Forcing Her to Drive Across State Lines By Nicole Acosta

Three inmates who escaped from a Georgia jail and were later captured in Florida are accused of kidnapping a rideshare driver and threatening to kill her, authorities said.

Stevenson Charles, 24, Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25, escaped from the DeKalb County Jail after a routine security check on the morning of Monday, Dec. 22 revealed they were missing, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement at the time.

A federal criminal complaint reviewed by PEOPLE alleges that the trio escaped from the jail using a rideshare service that was requested by a woman authorities later identified at a press conference as Minor’s girlfriend. Officials said the rideshare service was Lyft.

PEOPLE reached out to Lyft for comment on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and relieved that the driver is safe,” a spokesperson said. “Our hearts are with the driver and we have spoken with them to offer support. Lyft is working closely with law enforcement to assist in any way we can as the investigation continues.”

According to the complaint, the driver, who was not identified, said she felt “uneasy” about picking up three men instead of the woman who requested the ride, but drove them to their destination anyway.

After they arrived, one of the men allegedly wrapped a rope around the driver’s neck from behind. The victim’s hands were then bound at the wrists, and she was forced into the back seat of the vehicle. She was instructed to keep her head down and her eyes closed and was repeatedly told not to struggle or she would be killed, the complaint states.

The driver said she feared for her life and was held against her will for about 6 to 10 hours, per the complaint. During that time, the trio allegedly gained access to her personal banking information and bank cards, she claimed.

The complaint further alleges that the men forced the victim to drive to south Florida, where authorities alleged her credit card was used to pay for a short-term rental property in Miramar — which is located about 650 miles away from the jail.

At one point, the driver said she tried to escape but that one of the men allegedly assaulted her and threatened to shoot, rape and torture her, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, local and federal authorities were able to track the victim’s vehicle to the rental property using license plate readers, which detected it in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. While conducting surveillance, authorities claimed they spotted the alleged victim’s vehicle being driven by a person matching Charles’ description.

When authorities tried to stop the vehicle, the driver, believed to be Charles, led police on a pursuit before fleeing on foot, per the complaint. He was eventually located and taken into custody.

Authorities said a handgun was recovered along the pursuit route, and added that the two other suspects were also arrested late Monday night. Yohannes was a passenger in the vehicle, while Minor surrendered to police at the rental property, the complaint states.

Charles and Yohannes made their initial appearances in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 23 on kidnapping charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a press release. Minor was scheduled to make his initial appearance on Dec. 29.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

It’s unclear if the suspects have entered pleas. PEOPLE has reached out to their attorneys for comment but did not immediately hear back.

At the time of the escape, Charles was awaiting trial on federal charges related to a 2022 murder and armed robbery, prosecutors said. He was transferred to state custody on Dec. 5.

Minor was being held on charges of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, while Yohannes faced charges of simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution, per the sheriff’s office’s statement.

At the press conference, officials declined to provide details about the escape. DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox stated that she plans to advocate for improvements at the facility.