MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Two suspects are in custody after police said they pulled a gun on a ride-share driver and forced him to drive them to Miami Beach.
According to Miami Beach police, officers responded to the 1400 block of Ocean Drive at about 9:14 p.m. Tuesday where the driver dropped off the suspects.
The suspects have been identified as Ashton Montanez, 22, of Orlando, and Jefferson Mesidor, 25, of Miami.
According to Montanez’s arrest report, he is an influencer who is currently living on the streets of Miami.
Police said the driver told them that he is a Lyft driver who was picking up a fare Tuesday night on Bay Harbor Terrace in Bay Harbor Islands when he noticed a large police presence.
He said he then saw two men running toward his car and then opening the door to his vehicle.
According to the report, Montanez and Mesidor laid down in the vehicle in an attempt to conceal themselves before Montanez passed what the driver believed was a gun to Mesidor.
Police said the duo then forced the victim to drive them to Miami Beach.
The victim told police that he considered jumping out of his moving car at one point, but was scared they would shoot him.
According to the report, both suspects exited the vehicle in the 1400 block of Ocean Drive and entered a residential building.
Witnesses told Local 10 that the building is filled with short-term rentals, including Airbnbs.
“We come back around 1 o’clock and the whole road is blocked off, tons of cops. They kept saying, ‘Oh, it’ll be another 40 minutes,’” Andrew Galizia, who is visiting from Boston, said. “They said that like four times and then we waited. There was a lot of action going on down here, so we moved to this side, and then all of a sudden you see the SWAT team fully armed, dogs, and infrared googles ... I was like, ‘Damn, what is really going on?’”
Authorities said Mesidor then exited the building and was quickly located by police in the 1500 block of Ocean Drive while Montanez remained barricaded inside.
One person staying in one of the rental units said he spent hours waiting in the lobby of a nearby hotel.
“We were staying at an Airbnb and I think there were a lot of people in Airbnbs there, so it was an inconvenience for a lot of people,” he said.
Montanez was eventually taken into custody at about 1:08 a.m. Wednesday, police confirmed.
Families staying at the building said they were caught off guard by the police presence.
“They didn’t get too close to the building, but they had surrounded the building, and then all of a sudden, they had gotten in here and came in, and then they were knocking on the door, saying we had to evacuate,” Tierra Esquerre said.
Detectives were seen collecting evidence, trying to piece together exactly what led up to the driver being held at gunpoint.
“I was pretty scared,” Esquerre said. “I called my grandfather. I cried because when they pulled up with the guys in the truck, that was pretty intense, so it was scary.”
Miami Beach police said the investigation remains ongoing and is being led by the Bay Harbor Islands Police Department.
“MBPD will continue to support BHPD as needed,” a MBPD spokesman said in an email to Local 10 News.
Both Montanez and Mesidor face kidnapping charges.
As of Wednesday afternoon, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed their bond as “to bet set.”
“This behavior is unacceptable, and we are grateful that the driver is safe,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement to Local 10 News. “The rider involved has been permanently removed from the Lyft platform, and we have been in touch with the driver to provide support. We stand ready to assist law enforcement.”
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