Uber Eats driver faces life in prison for kidnapping, stabbing 15-year-old in Baltimore basement
A judge ordered 23-year-old Abubakarr Barrie held without bond Monday afternoon in connection with the kidnapping and stabbing of a 15-year-old girl in Northwest Baltimore last week.
The victim escaped from a basement apartment, running naked and covered in blood while pleading for help.
Barrie had nothing to say during his court appearance at Wabash District Court. His public defender told the judge that he maintains his innocence.
What happened?
Police say the teenager's ordeal unfolded Thursday at a nondescript rental home off Garrison Boulevard near Barrington Road in Northwest Baltimore.
According to charging documents obtained by WJZ Investigates, 23-year-old Abubakarr Barrie picked up the victim while operating an unlicensed hack cab. But instead of taking her to a carryout, as she had requested, Barrie "immediately became violent," police said.
Barrie drove the girl to his basement apartment in the 3700 block of Garrison Boulevard, where he allegedly "advised her to put her phone down and not to scream," according to the documents.
He then "began stabbing her all over her body, so she said she began scratching and clawing at [him]," police wrote.
Police also said Barrie pulled off the girl's clothes.
Fighting back
The victim fought back by hitting Barrie with a fire extinguisher, police said.
She then ran from the apartment without clothes or shoes, her body covered in blood.
She eventually made it to the 3800 block of Belle Avenue, about 10 minutes away, where an unidentified Good Samaritan allowed her to use a phone to call 911 and her mother.
How police made the arrest
Police tracked Barrie using the victim's phone, which they said he still had in his possession and whose location they were able to monitor.
Investigators also said Barrie gave the teenager his phone number so she could pay for the hack cab ride through Cash App. That information helped police identify him and the white Hyundai Elantra he was driving.
In court, WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren learned that Barrie had lived on Garrison Boulevard for only about a month.
His public defender said Barrie worked for Uber Eats and was working toward earning his GED.
Court officials said Barrie had prior arrests but no prior convictions. Pretrial services reported that he had a history of suicide attempts, and his attorney asked that he be monitored while in custody.
Neighbors react
Shana Kay, who lives across the street from the apartment, told WJZ she had never seen Barrie before.
"I would have helped. That's scary. She must've been terrified. Oh my God, I can't believe it happened right at my doorstep," Kay said. "My daughter likes to take the cab, but now I'm scared."
A neighbor who lives next door to Barrie said she had not noticed anything out of the ordinary but was wary of the people living around her.
"That's scary. That's really why I don't like to leave out the house," said the neighbor, who declined to give her name.
What's next?
Police said the victim was stabbed at least five times and suffered a collapsed lung. She is expected to survive her injuries.
WJZ Investigates reached out to her family for comment.
Barrie remains behind bars and faces nine charges, including attempted first-degree murder, which carries the possibility of life in prison if he is convicted.
