Lyft driver carjacked in Baltimore, escaped from trunk with emergency latch
BALTIMORE — A Lyft driver who was scheduled to pick up a passenger in South Baltimore around 10 Wednesday night was carjacked at gunpoint and forced into his trunk, according to a Baltimore city police report.
The driver told police that when he arrived at the location, there were four passengers instead of the one he was expecting. The victim said when he tried to drop them off at their destination, they told him to keep driving and when they eventually stopped, they pulled out two guns and threatened him.
According to the police report, the suspects asked the driver for his i-Phone and password and threatened to kill him. The report also said the suspects told the victim to take off his Apple Watch and delete the data.
The report went on to describe a series of events where the victim was told "... to get into the trunk of the vehicle and that they were going to use his vehicle and Lyft App to pick up more people and rob them too."
But once the victim, who has not been identified, was in the trunk of his vehicle, he told police he "used the emergency latch inside the trunk to open it...", jumped out while the suspects were driving away. He then screamed for help.
Police say the victim had minor lacerations and hurt his ankle.
The suspects in this case got away, but this is the latest of at least three similar incidents where investigators say ride-share drivers have become victims.
A Lyft spokesperson said, "Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the incident described is horrific. We have reached out to the driver to offer support and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation. These crimes are absolutely unacceptable, and we're committed to doing what we can to keep drivers safe."
In a detailed email, the company said they take steps to limit unsafe driver behavior like "...temporarily and permanently deactivating accounts, blocking users from creating new accounts, and requiring riders to submit additional information before requesting a ride."
The company said after an analysis, it found the majority of the perpetrators who target drivers are using anonymous payment sources like prepaid cards, Venmo or PayPal.
The company said "In response, we rolled out a new feature in certain markets that requires an additional form of identification from riders using anonymous payment methods, which we know to be more frequently linked to fraud and other high-risk behavior, before riding with Lyft.
The company says it's also partnered with ADT to assist drivers with discreet ways of calling for help.
A Lyft driver who spoke with WJZ said the latest incidents are forcing him to consider a career change.
"It's scary, because I do this full-time," said Driver Dana Holder. "You wonder if it could happen to you."
In a statement, Baltimore city police said arrests have been made in some of the cases, and they are working with local and federal partners on continued investigations.
The department also said there have been cases where suspects have forced people to withdraw money from ATMs, or transfer funds via Cash App,, but "Detectives have connected with multiple vendors and are working to investigate these cases and have payments reversed, when applicable."
WJZ reported on a string of similar robberies involving Uber rides last month, in which unsuspecting ride-share users were robbed, sometimes violently, by criminals suspected of carjacking Uber drivers.
