Three inmates from a jail near Atlanta were apprehended in Florida this week after allegedly kidnapping a Lyft driver, according to court records. The driver was reportedly threatened with a rope around her neck and held in the backseat for several hours while the men attempted to evade law enforcement, NBC Miami reported.
Details of the DeKalb County Jail breach that allowed the inmates to escape were not fully disclosed by Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins for security reasons. According to US News, Atkins stated, "We repaired the area that was compromised, and we’re looking at other areas that are similar to that to fortify them to make sure that they are not compromised in the same manner." The aging facility was repaired where needed following the incident.
The escape prompted a multistate manhunt, with authorities eventually locating the inmates in South Florida using license plate readers. The group had used the kidnapped Lyft driver’s credit card to secure a short-term rental, where they were cornered; one inmate attempted to flee on foot before being captured. According to court records cited by the FBI, the driver was held and threatened for nearly ten hours, facing increased threats of being shot, raped, and tortured.
The three men, now in custody, face kidnapping charges in addition to their prior allegations. Stevenson Charles, 24, Naod Yohannes, 25, and Yusuf Minor, 31, have prior criminal histories including murder, armed robbery, and arson. Defense attorneys have not issued public comments.
