A masked man and a woman kidnapped an Uber driver in Boynton Beach on Friday, then forced him to drive around for hours going to ATMs, police say.
Isaiah Thurston, 20, and Jakeria Riley, 24, were arrested early Saturday morning on charges including kidnapping and robbery with a firearm. Thurston is also charged with violating his probation, while Riley is charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to jail records.
On Friday, the Uber driver called the police to report a kidnapping. He had been picking up a ride near the Catalina Center shopping mall in Boynton Beach when a man clad in all black and a ski-mask entered the car, pressed a gun to his back and demanded that the ride be canceled, Boynton Beach Police said in a news release. The armed man then called a “female accomplice” who also entered the vehicle.
Police later identified the armed man as Thurston and the woman as Riley. They did not provide any identifying information about the Uber driver.
The two forced the driver to drive around West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach for close to two hours, attempting to withdraw cash from ATMs, according to the release. They then returned to Boynton Beach and the suspects fled.
Detectives began searching for the kidnappers and later found Thurston and Riley near the Courtyard Marriott in Boynton Beach, according to the release. When they searched Riley, they found cocaine and stolen credit cards.
Both Thurston and Riley were booked into Palm Beach County Jail early Saturday morning, jail records show.
Boynton Beach Police’s Major Case Unit, Digital Forensic Unit, Real Time Crime Center, Road Patrol, Community Response Team, Drone Team, K-9 Unit and PBSO’s Aviation Unit all assisted in the investigation.
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