A 26-year-old Miami man is facing attempted second-degree murder charges after authorities say he chased down a rideshare driver and opened fire on the vehicle following a dispute over where he wanted to go. Jabar Joe Ryland was taken into custody after Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputies say he fired several shots at the car as it sped away from a home in the 24700 block of Southwest 129th Avenue.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, deputies were sent to the scene around 4 a.m. on September 18 after a ShotSpotter alert flagged six gunshots in the area. The acoustic gunfire detection system, which uses networked street sensors to pinpoint shootings even when no one calls 911, is deployed across parts of Miami-Dade County, according to a SoundThinking release describing how the technology works. Deputies arriving at the scene found spent bullet casings scattered across the roadway, the station's report notes.
A Dispute Over the Destination
The driver had accepted a ride request to pick up Ryland, per the same account, but the two got into a brief verbal disagreement after Ryland asked to go somewhere other than the address listed in the rideshare app. The driver ultimately agreed to take him to the requested location instead. That kind of mid-ride change is a common flashpoint in the industry — off-app or manual destination changes frequently spark arguments over fare adjustments, safety, and unexpected detours, according to Makarem & Associates.
Once they arrived, Ryland reportedly told the driver to wait while he went inside, but he fled as he reached the front door. The driver told investigators that as the car pulled away, several gunshots rang out and bullets flew past the vehicle. The driver looked back and saw Ryland running after the car, the report states.
Two Guns, One Reported Stolen
Authorities located and arrested Ryland a short time later. Deputies say he had one gun tucked in his waistband and another concealed under his arm. A records check on the weapons turned up a troubling detail: one of the firearms had been reported stolen the previous year.
Under Florida Statute § 812.014(2)(c)(5), the theft of a firearm is generally classified as grand theft of the third degree — a felony punishable by up to five years in prison — regardless of the gun's value or condition, according to The Law Offices of Robert David Malove. A person previously convicted of grand theft of a firearm may face a second-degree felony charge. Ryland faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, carrying a concealed firearm, and grand theft.
Steep Mandatory Sentence Looms
The stakes in the case are significant. Attempted second-degree murder is a second-degree felony under Florida Statutes § 782.04(2) and § 777.04, punishable by up to 15 years in state prison and as much as $10,000 in fines, per Roger P. Foley P.A. Florida's 10-20-Life statute mandates a minimum 20-year prison sentence for discharging a firearm during certain qualifying violent felonies, according to The Brancato Law Firm.
Ryland was booked into jail and has since appeared before a judge, who ordered him held without bond. The case was handled by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, which took over local law enforcement duties in unincorporated parts of the county after voters restored an elected constitutional sheriff, according to a Town of Miami Lakes report. The agency, now the largest in the Southeastern United States with roughly 3,200 sworn deputies, absorbed the responsibilities previously held by the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Part of a Troubling Pattern
The Homestead shooting echoes a string of recent cases nationwide in which arguments between rideshare drivers and passengers have turned violent. In April, a 41-year-old passenger in Largo was arrested after drawing a Glock and firing three shots into an Uber during a late-night dispute over politics and religion, as Uber shooting after political rant detailed. Similar disputes have also ended in gunfire in Atlanta and St. Louis in recent months, underscoring the risks drivers face when disagreements escalate in isolated, late-night settings.
It remains unclear which rideshare company employed the driver or whether the platform has taken any action regarding Ryland's account.
