3 Minneapolis men sentenced for violent carjackings targeting Uber, Lyft drivers
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Three Minneapolis men were sentenced to prison for their roles in an armed carjacking spree that targeted rideshare drivers, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Wednesday.
Court documents say that Shevirio Childs-Young, 20, William Saffold, 21, Javeyon Tate, 23, and Eric Knight, 20, carjacked and robbed Uber and Lyft drivers between September and October 2021.
The men would lure victims under guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. Once the victim arrived, they would brandish firearms and force the victim to give them their phones, along with the password. Then, they would transfer money via mobile applications from the accounts of the victims to themselves.
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After the funds were transferred, the victim's vehicle would be taken at gunpoint. Members struck, pistol whipped and threatened to kill the victims to intimate and force compliance, court documents state.
All men pleaded guilty to conspiring to use, carry and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence.
Saffold also pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer after he drew a pistol and pointed it at an FBI agent attempting to execute an arrest warrant in May 2022. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Knight was sentenced to five years in prison. Tate was sentenced to six-and-a-half years and Childs-Young eight years in prison. Each man's prison sentence is followed by three years of supervised release.
