Multiple armed carjackings involving ride-hailing service drivers lead to arrest of Baltimore man
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with multiple carjackings last month that involved ride-hailing service drivers in Baltimore.
Twenty-three-year-old Caron Davis is accused of allegedly committing three armed carjackings in different neighborhoods, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) said in a statement posted to X. The incidents occurred in the 1500 block of Montpelier Street, the 2600 block of Tyler Street and the 200 block of Waldorf Avenue.
Davis -- who is known to police due to several prior arrests -- was taken into custofy Oct. 8 as part of a sweep conducted by the city's Warrant Apprehension Task Force (WATF).
Davis has been charged with three counts of armed carjacking and multiple firearm violations. He is also facing theft and assault charges.
The carjackings
Charging documents obtained by CBS News Baltimore state that on Sept. 19, an employee for Baltimore Sedan Services called police and explained that he had been carjacked. Police met the victim, who explained that he was sent to the 1500 block of Montpelier Street to pick up a rider.
Once at the location, the cab driver told police that a man entered the vehicle and immediately held him at gunpoint. The man told the cab driver "not to touch anything and get out," according to the charging documents. The suspect then climbed into the front seat and drove off in the driver's vehicle.
The driver told police he didn't get a good look at the suspect but did see that he was a Black male, young, wearing dark clothing and carrying a light-colored bag.
Police were able to call the sedan service and get information about the caller who requested the ride. The number and address of the suspect was obtained from the company. Police discovered that the suspect used a TEXTNOW cellular service that could only be used when connected to Wi-Fi.
Investigators used data from Apple, Comcast
On Sept. 21, police issued a warrant to TEXTNOW Inc., hoping to identify the user of the cellphone. Police later received a username and email address of the account holder and discovered the phone was used for making "free non wireless calls," the charging documents said.
Police also served a search warrant to iphone maker Apple Inc. for the email address, as well as to Comcast Cable Communications for the IP addresses associated with the Wi-Fi connection used on the phone.
Police were able to obtain the address, in the 1500 block of Montpelier Street, but they were unable to take the suspect into custody at that time. A few days later, on Sept. 25, the same sedan service called police and said the same number was requesting a ride to that same address.
During the same week, there were two more reports of armed carjackings of rideshare services. A report on Sept. 20 came from the 2800 block of Waldorf Avenue, while another came on Sept. 22 from the 2600 block of Tyler Avenue. That address is one block away from the Montpelier incident, Baltimore police investigators said.
The same company, Baltimore Sedan Services, was contacted for a ride in both incidents. When the drivers arrived, they were held at gunpoint while the suspect drove off in their vehicles.
How police caught the suspect
A 911 call was placed on Oct. 2 for a domestic dispute in the 1500 block of Montpelier Street. The caller was later identified as the girlfriend of Davis. Police noticed the suspect matched the description of the carjacking suspect. They also observed him using an iPhone 13 Pro Max to provide someone the same address police had visited for one of the armed carjackings.
During their investigation, police learned that Davis was on probation at the time and the email address he used to register was the same email received from TEXTNOW Inc, Apple Inc. and Comcast Cable Communications.