Two Men Charged in Violent Carjackings of Uber, Lyft Drivers

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two Minneapolis men have been charged in a 20-count indictment for alleged violent carjackings and armed robberies targeting Uber and Lyft drivers.

The U.S. Department of Justice says in September and December of last year 18-year-old Shevirio Childs-Young and 20-year-old William Saffold, along with others, were part of a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies.

They are accused of luring the drivers to particular locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the victims arrived the suspects used guns and demanded the cell phones and wallets of the drivers. They would force the victims at gunpoint to unlock their cell phones and provide passcodes. The suspects would then transfer money via Cash App from the victim's accounts to their own.