Armed carjacking suspects lure victims with fare payments

WBFF (Baltimore, MD) – Three men suspected of participating in two separate armed carjackings within 24 hours used transportation fees to lure their victims into a false sense of security.

Charging documents show Sean Fleming and David Sainz hired an Uber driver to pick them up from the 2800 block of Edgecombe Circle South on Oct. 24. An Uber driver showed up in a 2022 Toyota Highlander and lost his SUV to passengers after one of them complained that the bar at the pick-up point was closed.

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Fleming and Sainz reportedly requested the Uber account be suspended twice before confiscating the ridesharing vehicle. In their charging documents, investigators say the two men asked to be driven to Kitty’s Lounge in the 3200 block of Greenmount Avenue but found it was closed when the Uber driver took them there.

The Uber driver told police that Fleming accused him of spending $50. That’s when Fleming asked the driver to take him and Sainz to another location. Court records say that as they drove to the second location, Fleming allegedly told the Uber driver, “You know how many people die because of things like this.”

Fleming then told the driver to stop the car or he would be killed. So the driver stopped near MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, where Fleming pulled what the Uber driver believed to be a firearm from his black bag, got out of the SUV and walked to the driver’s door, according to charging documents. .

The Uber driver got out of the SUV and ran, leaving his iPhone behind. Fleming allegedly followed him for some time before returning to the Toyota Highlander.

Police learned of the theft a few minutes after 2 a.m. That’s when the Uber driver was able to stop the officer as the man was driving to MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, according to court records.

Officers were ordered to monitor the stolen SUV via citywide broadcast. Police found the Toyota Highlander near the Marathon gas station in the 1200 block of West Cold Spring Lane around 2:45 a.m.

When Fleming and Sainz were detained by police, the Uber driver was asked to determine whether they were passengers who drove off in his SUV. After the Uber driver was able to confirm his identity, robbery detectives interviewed the two men, according to court records.

Sainz was the first to be interviewed. Charging documents describe how Sainz did not say or do anything while in the Uber vehicle. Sainz told detectives he “did not see a gun or hear any threats.”

After questioning, the police took Sainz to the central reception center. Court records say he faces charges of armed carjacking, robbery, second-degree assault, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and theft under $1,000.

Officers also took Fleming to the central booking and reception center. Fleming’s charging documents were not available at the time this story was published.

About 19 hours later, 18-year-old Nathaniel Lawrence stopped a man driving a Lexus in the 1300 block of Valley Street and offered to pay him for a ride in his luxury car. Shortly after he slid into the passenger side, he pulled out a gun and told the driver to “drop everything and get out of the car,” according to court records.

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The driver complied with Lawrence’s request, and Lawrence drove away in the Lexus. In charging documents, investigators described how the driver’s quick flight caused him to leave behind several cell phones and was able to track at least one of them using GPS technology. A friend with access to a phone was able to help investigators track the stolen vehicle.

Investigators learned the Lexus was traveling on West Hamburg Street, near Pigtown. Court records describe how the Baltimore Police Department helicopter crew assisted them by monitoring the vehicle’s movements, following it after Lawrence began speeding and driving erratically.

According to court records, Lawrence was “driving on sidewalks and on the wrong roads.” He drove back to the city’s east side, where he initially got into the Lexus but lost control of it after crashing into another vehicle in the 2300 block of Harford Road.

The Lexus overturned and came to rest on its roof near the intersection of Harford Road and 25th Street.

Police then pulled Lawrence from the wreckage and handcuffed him. He was searched for a weapon, but none was found, according to charging documents.

Court records say the owner of the Lexus was able to identify Lawrence as the man who took the vehicle from him at gunpoint.

The police took Lawrence to the central reservation and reception center. He faces charges of armed carjacking, theft of a motor vehicle, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, unauthorized taking of a motor vehicle, theft over $25,000 to less than $100,000, armed robbery and robbery.