A female Lyft driver was carjacked and assaulted by a male passenger during a ride Oct. 19, according to surveillance footage and a local report.
The incident occurred as the unnamed driver was finishing up a ride in North Miami shortly after 5 p.m. The driver recounted the ordeal to Local 10 News in Spanish hours afterwards. She alleged the passenger assaulted her, forcefully pulled her out of the backseat and then fled in her car. She managed to provide the police with the passenger’s information obtained from the rideshare app.
The passenger can be seen in surveillance footage clad in all-black, exiting the back seat of the vehicle before allegedly seizing control of the car and driving away, leaving the driver behind. Investigators later identified the suspect as 19-year-old Jermiah Charles via a subpoena issued to Lyft, Local 10 reported.
A detective “received the records showing the phone number and account used belongs to the defendant,” according to a police report cited by the outlet. (RELATED: REPORT: Police Say Man Shot Lyft Driver, Bought Seat Covers To Hide Blood Stains, Then Drove To Family Function)
The woman positively identified Charles in a lineup Oct. 26, and police reportedly managed to locate the victim’s car a block away from Charles’ home. During questioning by authorities, Charles adamantly denied any involvement in the incident, per Local 10. He now faces charges of robbery and carjacking.
Police in August apprehended a 12-year-old boy in connection with an armed carjacking that took place in broad daylight in Washington, D.C. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) issued a press release providing details of the arrest and the incident in question.
“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District announce an arrest has been made in an Armed Carjacking (Gun) offense that occurred on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Avenue and U Street, Southeast,” MPD said.