Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking
In escape from Georgia’s DeKalb County Jail concluded in Florida on December 23, 2025, following a multi-state manhunt, according to The Guardian. Stevenson Charles, 24, Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25, fled the aging jail in Decatur on December 21, reportedly by breaching a cell vent. Their four-day flight ended after U.S. Marshals used license plate reader technology to track them to the Miami area.
Authorities allege the fugitives used a fake feminine name to order a Lyft. Once the rideshare driver arrived, the three men restrained her and threatened to rape and kill her during the 10-hour drive to Florida. Charles and Yohannes were apprehended in the victim’s vehicle after a brief chase, while Minor was seized at a short-term rental made possible by using the Lyft driver’s credit cards and bank information. All three escapees now face federal kidnapping and carjacking charges in addition to their original violent offenses: Minor and Yohannes were both serving life sentences for murder charges, and Charles was being detained on murder and armed robbery charges.
While the DeKalb County Sherriff’s Office hasn’t fully divulged the timeline and method of the escape, officials claim the men were able to “compromise” a portion of a jail cell. A spokesperson for the Sherriff’s Office refused to provide more specifics as they did not want other detainees to know the facility’s weaknesses. But those weaknesses are likely apparent, as even DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox described the jail as an “aging facility that’s deteriorating right before our eyes.”
Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian
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