On January 19, 2026, a Lyft driver was violently attacked and carjacked in St. Louis City after picking up four individuals requesting a ride to Hecht Avenue. According to a probable cause statement, once the driver arrived at the location, a male passenger bear-hugged him from the back seat while another suspect reached for the car keys. As the driver tried to escape, he was tripped and assaulted on the ground—kicked repeatedly as the suspects demanded his keys. One of the suspects even threw the driver’s phone out of reach during the attack. After pistol-whipping the driver in the head, the two male suspects took off in his vehicle, leaving him with visible injuries including a knot on his head, a busted lip, and a scraped knee.
A short time later, the stolen vehicle was spotted by officers from the Special Response Unit, who observed it being driven erratically before it crashed into an Ameren utility pole. The suspects fled the scene on foot. One passenger, identified as Defendant Cole, admitted to having a firearm in his bag. Officers recovered a loaded Glock 17 handgun and later learned through a Miranda waiver that Cole had been standing outside the vehicle with his gun while another suspect wrestled the driver and put him in a chokehold.
The investigation is ongoing and is being handled by detectives from the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons.
