Baltimore authorities announced Wednesday the arrest of six teenagers in connection with a spate of robberies and car thefts that have terrorized ride-sharing app users in recent weeks.
Police have partnered with the FBI to investigate a total of 39 incidents involving ride-sharing apps, including carjackings, kidnappings and robberies, since November. Baltimore officials held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the results of their work, which has led to the arrest of six people between the ages of 15 and 18 in connection with the crimes. All but two had prior arrests.
Authorities said there are two open warrants for an additional suspect in at least one of the rideshare incidents.
“In many cases like this, the suspects are described as young men and women, often working in pairs or groups,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison told reporters at a news conference. “These incidents include both drivers and customers, with multiple incidents in which victims were forced into the vehicle, essentially kidnapped, and then driven through various areas.”
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A woman who was kidnapped earlier this year in Baltimore is reflected in a rear view mirror.
(Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)
Authorities described how rideshare users fall victim to muggers who kidnap drivers, rob them and then use the driver’s app to pick up new victims. Customers requesting a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft have been kidnapped and forced to withdraw cash from ATMs or use cash apps and robbed.
“Many if not all of these people have been severely traumatized because it’s not just a carjacking, it’s a kidnapping, and then they drive to an ATM. [and are] forced to withdraw money from the ATM,” Harrison said.
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A car involved in a carjacking on May 3, 2022 crashed in Port Covington in South Baltimore.
(Lea Skene/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
FBI officials said these thefts happen quickly, with unsuspecting passengers forced into the vehicle or divers caught unawares.
“Give criminals what they want, whether it’s your car, your keys, your wallet, this is not worth risking your life to do,” said Thomas Sobocinski, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore field office.
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Lyft and Uber logos are seen on the windshield of a vehicle in New York on Aug. 9, 2018. (John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Last week, police announced the arrest of nine people suspected of a series of robberies involving carpooling, local news station WBAL-TV reported. Investigators said rideshare companies are working with authorities to bring these criminals to justice, using the latest surveillance technology to do so.
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“We have updated our vehicle theft protocols to ensure that we can get information about these incidents in real time, upload information to our license plate reading system, and then provide information to patrol officers to keep an eye out for these vehicles,” he said. Harrison.
Authorities reminded the public to take several safety precautions before using a ride-sharing app, including confirming the car’s license plate, make and model, and double-checking that the driver’s identity matches the photo and the identity in the application.
