North Texas man pleads guilty to kidnapping Lyft driver forced to go 1,300 miles to Miami
A North Texas man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a Lyft driver at gunpoint and forcing the ride-share worker to take him from Arlington to south Florida as part of a plot to abduct a social media influencer.
Miguel Pastran Hernandez, 24, pleaded guilty to counts of kidnapping, carjacking and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20 and could face life in prison.
When he booked the ride on Aug. 16, Pastran Hernandez was supposed to be dropped off at a gas station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but upon arrival he insisted on a new destination about 1,300 miles away, federal authorities said.
Pastran Hernandez pulled out a gun, and the driver heard the sound of a round being chambered, according to an account of the trip described by an FBI special agent in an affidavit supporting a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Miami.
Pastran Hernandez threatened to tie up and put the driver in the back of the car, authorities said. The victim pleaded with Pastran Hernandez to be allowed to steer in order to have an opportunity to flee, the driver later told the special agent.
Pastran Hernandez ordered the victim to drive toward Florida and maintain the speed limit, according to the affidavit.
Pastran Hernandez discovered that the driver had an unloaded 9mm handgun in the car. The driver had ammunition stored separately in the car. The passenger took the gun and ammunition.
Pastran Hernandez ordered the victim to continue driving east toward Miami, authorities said.
When they arrived in Florida, Pastran Hernandez ordered the victim to drive to Miami Beach, where the suspect watched from a distance a person whom he said he intended to kidnap and hold for a $3 million ransom, according to the affidavit.
Pastran Hernandez later made the driver travel to a Dollar General store in Hialeah, Florida, to buy supplies for the planned kidnapping, authorities said.
The driver hid in the store bathroom. Pastran Hernandez left on foot. About three hours later, authorities found Pastran Hernandez in Hollywood, Florida.
Pastran Hernandez admitted in an interview with a law enforcement officer that he had kidnapped the driver at gunpoint, the special agent wrote in the affidavit.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida charged Pastran Hernandez with kidnapping, carjacking with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
This article contains information from the Star-Telegram’s archives.
