HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A Lyft driver who allegedly locked a Starbucks employee in his car and later returned to her workplace multiple times earlier this month was arrested, Homestead police confirmed in an arrest report obtained by Local 10 News on Friday.
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Authorities said Wadson Desir, 46, was taken into custody after the woman identified him in a photo lineup.
The incident happened the night of May 9, when the woman, who works at a Starbucks on Homestead Boulevard, requested a Lyft ride as part of a company partnership that provides employees with free transportation.
Police said Desir, who is listed as homeless in his arrest report, picked her up around 9:40 p.m. in a blue Hyundai and was supposed to take her home, which is approximately 4.5 miles away from her job.
Instead, police said Desir veered off course, driving down a dirt road lined with RVs.
An arrest report states that the woman received an alert from the Lyft app warning that her route had been altered and advising her to call police if she felt unsafe.
When she confronted Desir, he laughed and said he had made a “wrong turn,” the report stated.
Police said the app showed they were traveling north toward Naranja, Princeton, and Goulds — far from her intended route.
The woman told investigators she tried to stay calm and called her boyfriend, speaking loudly enough for Desir to hear that someone was expecting her.
Authorities said Desir eventually returned to the proper route and drove toward her gated community.
But before she could get out, Desir reportedly parked the car, locked the doors, and demanded her cellphone, according to the report.
Fearing he wouldn’t let her leave otherwise, she complied. Police said Desir used the phone to call himself and save her number.
Shortly after, police said Desir unlocked the doors and allowed the woman to exit. She hid until he drove away.
Investigators said the Lyft app showed that the ride lasted approximately 34 minutes — far longer than needed for the short trip.
They said the woman blocked Desir’s number immediately and had no further communication with him.
About four days later, police said Desir showed up at her workplace, lingering in the parking lot. He waved his phone at her, as if signaling her to call him. Starbucks employees closed the store lobby early, citing safety concerns, the report stated.
Police said Desir continued returning to the location in the days that followed.
Authorities said HPD officers detained Desir after spotting him again at the same Starbucks on Wednesday.
They said the woman later identified him in a photo lineup, leading to his arrest.
Desir was issued a trespass warning and taken to HPD headquarters, according to police.
Records show he is facing one count each of false imprisonment and stalking.
As of Friday, he was being held on a $3,000 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Read Lyft’s response to Desir’s arrest here:
“The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or society. We reached out to the rider to offer support, have removed the driver from the Lyft platform, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
