Authorities report a Mississippi teenager was detained after reportedly shooting his Lyft driver many times after he kidnapped her and brought her to the woods to rob her. After picking up 17-year-old Dontarius Magee from an apartment complex in Byram, located south of Jackson, Brandy Littrell, 36, was shot seven times on Tuesday.
Magee allegedly pushed Littrell into the backseat of her black Dodge Journey after calling a ride and drove her to a wooded location off Beasley Road while holding her at gunpoint, according to Jackson Deputy Chief of Police Deric Hearn.
Magee fled the scene after shooting Littrell and obtaining her home address, garage door opener, and car keys, according to authorities. Littrell terrified for her grandmother's safety when he departed so she hurried to a neighboring apartment complex for rescue.
The 17-year-old was apprehended along Adkins Boulevard, according to police, and has now confessed to the assault. Carjacking, abduction, and serious violence are among the charges he faces, Daily Mail reported.
Lyft driver shot multiple times in the woods
Magee was reportedly picked up by Littrell at the Spring Lake apartments after ordering a Lyft drive. When they arrived at Magee's destination, an apartment complex off of McWillie Circle, the teenager pulled out a gun and forced Littrell to crawl into the woods.
Instead, she went to a nearby residence, where a homeowner dialed 911. She survived the shooting thanks to "God's grace," as Littrell described it, as per The Washington Post via MSN. In a Thursday interview from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, where she is recovering, she detailed her experience.
According to Hinds County court records, Magee was arrested the day of the incident on counts of carjacking, abduction, aggravated assault, and armed robbery. It was unclear whether he had retained legal counsel in the matter, which WAPT had previously reported on.
Police were contacted at 1:35 p.m., according to Jackson Deputy Police Chief Deric Hearn. An ambulance rushed her to surgery with life-threatening injuries after responding to a report of a lady "shot multiple times in the woods." Hearns said the police department collaborated with the FBI to locate Magee, who allegedly confessed to the crime.
In a statement, a representative for Lyft, an Uber competitor that debuted in 2012, said the company reached out to give assistance to Littrell, permanently banned her assailant, and "stands ready" to assist law enforcement.
Victim is still thankful to be alive despite losing her car and phone
Between 2017 and 2019, Lyft received 10 complaints of deadly physical assaults and 4,158 allegations of sexual assault, according to its first-ever safety report. More than 99 percent of all rides went without a hitch, the report said.
Littrell claimed she had been driving for Lyft and Uber for five years, using the extra money to fund her "crafting addiction," but she was preparing to drive full-time after being let off from her job as an insurance agent.
She claimed she was on her phone on Tuesday when she received a message from Lyft to pick up Magee from an apartment complex in Byram, a Jackson suburb. He asked for two stops, one at another apartment block and the other at McDonald's. He pulled out the weapon and urged her to go in the back of the car during the initial stop, according to Littrell.
She said that worry for her family prompted her to seek assistance. She was terrified that her assailant would use her phone, car, and personal information to travel to her house and hurt her family until she learned that police had made an arrest.
Doctors have informed Littrell that her survival has amazed them, she stated from her hospital bed. Even though she is concerned about her financial security after losing her phone and car, both of which are essential to her livelihood, she is thankful to be alive.
@YouTube
