Agents say the driver was bound with a rope and forced to Broward County; the three men were captured near Miramar.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Three inmates who escaped from the DeKalb County Jail near Atlanta abducted a Lyft driver, tied her with a rope and drove her to South Florida before federal and local officers arrested them near Miramar on Tuesday, authorities said.
Officials identified the men as Stevenson Charles, 24; Yusuf Minor, 31; and Naod Yohannes, 25. Investigators said the escape was discovered during a routine security check early Monday in Decatur, Ga., setting off a multistate search. By Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Marshals Service and South Florida agencies had tracked the group to Broward County and recovered the driver alive. The case adds pressure on an already scrutinized DeKalb jail and raises new questions about inmate communications, outside help and gaps that allowed the men to travel hundreds of miles before capture.
Authorities said the men left the jail after compromising part of a cell area, met a contact and went to a residence tied to Minor. A ride was then ordered. During that ride, investigators said, the driver was overpowered at a stop in the Atlanta area. One of the men wrapped a rope around her neck, bound her and forced her into the back seat, according to a federal complaint described by officials. “We were able to use the intelligence of the U.S. Marshals Service to track that movement,” U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said. “We have ways to track.” Officials said the group drove the victim’s vehicle south on the interstate corridor overnight toward Broward County, where license plate readers later flagged the car.
By late morning Tuesday, investigators said, the men reached the Miramar area and used the driver’s credit cards to rent a short-term stay. Teams moved in after the vehicle generated multiple plate-reader hits, according to officials briefed on the search. The driver, who is being interviewed by the FBI, was described as traumatized but alive. Brown said investigators listened to recorded jail calls after the escape and learned of outside assistance that helped the trio leave Georgia quickly. Jail leaders acknowledged an infrastructure weakness and said the specific breach has been repaired while similar areas are being reinforced. The sheriff’s office did not detail injuries to the driver and did not say which suspect allegedly bound her.
Charles was being held on murder and armed robbery charges in Georgia and has prior federal convictions in Florida. Minor is serving a life sentence for murder in Clayton County and had been in DeKalb for court proceedings, officials said. Yohannes faces charges including assault and arson. After the escape, a public alert warned that the men could be armed and should be considered dangerous. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office called the jail an aging facility in need of upgrades and said additional patrols and checks were added following the breach. The complaint outlines threats made to the driver during the trip south; at one point, officials said, she tried to flee but could not. Specific details of the moment of arrest were not disclosed by investigators.
The DeKalb facility has faced criticism for crowding and maintenance, and officials said the incarcerated population has strained older parts of the building. In this case, leaders said the men “compromised” a portion of a housing area to get out, without explaining how. After the escape was discovered early Monday, the sheriff’s fugitive unit and the Marshals Service coordinated with Florida partners. Brown said a man picked up the inmates after the breakout and drove them to a girlfriend’s home before the Lyft was ordered. Records show Charles, transferred back to DeKalb on Dec. 5 for the pending murder case, previously received a life sentence in a federal South Florida case involving kidnappings and bank robberies; those details resurfaced as agencies weighed security concerns and the risk to the public during the search.
As of Tuesday evening, the three men were booked into the Broward County jail. Investigators said additional charges are expected in Florida connected to the alleged kidnapping and use of the victim’s property. DeKalb County officials said a briefing in Atlanta was planned later Tuesday to discuss the escape and recapture. Authorities in Georgia will determine transfer logistics and court dates for the underlying state cases; federal prosecutors are also reviewing the complaint tied to the interstate abduction. Officials said they are assessing whether anyone who helped the men leave Georgia will face charges and whether the driver’s vehicle will be returned after forensic processing.
In Broward County, neighbors near the reported rental location described a surge of police vehicles and unmarked cars shortly before the arrests. “It was quiet and then suddenly officers were everywhere,” said a nearby resident who watched from a doorway and asked not to be named for safety concerns. Another person who works at a nearby strip center said officers checked cars in the lot as helicopters circled. In Georgia, DeKalb County Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins said crews had already fixed the area exploited in the escape and were “looking at other areas that are similar” to make sure they are reinforced. “As you can imagine, the Lyft driver is very traumatized by this,” Brown said.
The investigation now centers on how the escape was executed, who coordinated the outside pickup and how the men traveled more than 600 miles before they were found. The next milestone is a law enforcement briefing expected Tuesday in Decatur, where officials plan to outline the breach, the timeline to Miramar and potential charges in both states. The driver remained with investigators providing statements. The suspects were held in Broward as agencies prepared warrants and transfer paperwork.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.