Posted on November 8, 2021

Mississippi Teenager Arrested After ‘He Kidnapped His Lyft Driver, Took Her To The Woods And Shot Her Seven Times’

Andrea Blanco, Daily Mail, November 4, 2021

A Mississippi teenager was arrested after allegedly shooting his Lyft driver numerous times after he kidnapped her and took her to the woods to rob her, police said.

Brandy Littrell, 36, was shot seven times on Tuesday after picking up 17-year-old Dontarius Magee from an apartment complex in Byram, directly south of Jackson.

Dontarius McGee

Dontarius McGee

Brandy Littrell

Brandy Littrell

Magee reportedly forced Littrell into the backseat of her black Dodge Journey after hailing a ride and, holding her to gunpoint, drove her to a wooded area off Beasley Road, Jackson Deputy Chief of Police Deric Hearn said.

‘I gave him whatever he wanted because I was just trying to stay alive,’ she told 16ABC from her hospital bed.

‘He wanted my PIN number to my phone, my debit cards and wanted to know how much money I had in the bank, and wanted to know what was in my house.’

After shooting Littrell and getting her home address, garage door opener and car keys, Magee fled the scene, police said.

Once he left, Littrell feared for the life of her grandmother, who was at her house, so she ran to a nearby apartment complex for help.

Police said they arrested the 17-year-old near Adkins Boulevard, and he has since confessed to the crime. He has been charged with carjacking, kidnapping and aggravated assault.

Magee allegedly ordered the Lyft ride and was picked up by Littrell at the Spring Lake apartments.

When they arrived at the destination Magee had set – an apartment complex off of McWillie Circle – the teenager pulled out a gun and made Littrell crawl through the woods, police said.

Littrell said he then ordered her to ‘get on [her] knees.’

‘So, I got on my knees, and then I heard the first shot…’ she recalled of the horrific experience.

Magee shot Littrell a total of seven times while he collected the information he planned to use to steal from her, according to police.

He then fled the scene with her car keys and valuables.

Littrell, in shock and covered in blood, realized Magee had left and ran to a nearby apartment for help.

‘It took every strength in me because, at this point, I am concerned… my grandmother is at my house, and I was worried he was going to go after her,’ Littrell said.

She was rushed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center and is now recovering and alive ‘by the grace of God.’

Hearn said Magee has a criminal history of robberies of this sort.

‘It is my understanding through our interview with this individual, this is not the first time this has occurred,’ the chief said.

In a statement about Littrell’s incident, Lyft said: ‘The incident described is horrific and our hearts go out to Ms. Littrell and her loved ones. We’ve reached out to offer our support, have permanently removed the rider from the Lyft community, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.’

Attacks against ride-hail drivers have been increasing at an alarming rate.

In July, The Markup reported that there had been 124 carjackings of ride-hail drivers over the last 18 months.

Eleven drivers have died as the result of the attacks. Seventy-five percent of the attacks happened after drivers were paired with their assailants through Uber and Lyft.

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