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Escaped Georgia Inmates Arrested in Florida After Lyft Driver Kidnapped, Federal Complaint Says

New federal filings outline a Lyft kidnapping, with license‑plate hits guiding officers to a Miramar rental.

Overview

  • Stevenson Charles, 24, Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25, were captured in South Florida and face federal kidnapping complaints after fleeing DeKalb County Jail.
  • A criminal complaint says they lured a Lyft under a fake female name, put a rope around the driver’s neck, bound her, and threatened rape and murder during up to 10 hours in the car.
  • Prosecutors say Minor’s girlfriend helped request the ride, and the men used the victim’s cards to secure a Miramar short‑term rental and kept using her vehicle.
  • License‑plate readers flagged the stolen car, leading to Charles and Yohannes’ arrests on the road and to Minor’s arrest at the rental, where the driver was recovered and evaluated by EMS.
  • DeKalb officials say the men exploited an older section of the jail to escape; two were serving life sentences for murder and the third was jailed on murder and armed‑robbery charges.