A man is facing life in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping a rideshare diver at gunpoint, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in southern Florida.
At about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, a ride-share driver working in Arlington picked up 24-year-old Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez as a passenger and drove him to his destination, a gas station that appeared to be closed.
At the gas station, the driver said they heard the click of a bullet being loaded into a gun and saw Pastran holding what appeared to be a firearm.
According to the attorney's office, the driver offered Pastran their belongings and the vehicle. Pastran responded by threatening to tie the driver up and hold him in the back seat.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Pastran then ordered the driver to drive to Florida. The attorney's office said during the drive, Pastran used a mobile app to see where police were located and instructed the driver to avoid those areas. The driver said Pastran claimed he had additional weapons inside his luggage.
During the trip, Pastran discovered the driver's personal handgun and loaded it with ammunition also found in the vehicle.
On Aug 18., the pair arrived at a residential home in Miami Beach, Florida. Pastran told the driver he intended to kidnap the resident, a social media influencer, in exchange for a $3,000,000 ransom from the family.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The next day, the driver said Pastran ordered him to drive them to a Dollar General store in Hialeah, Fla. to buy supplies to kidnap the influencer. While Pastran waited in the car, the victim escaped to the bathroom. It's unclear whether the driver or nearby witnesses contacted police.
When officers arrived at the store, Pastran fled on foot. Officers later located and detained him at a park in Hollywood, Florida. The attorney's office said during a search of his person, they found the driver's handgun with a bullet in the chamber.
Officers said they found multiple Airsoft guns, knives, a black mask, binoculars and zip-ties in Pastran's backpack left in the vehicle.
Pastran is facing life in prison after pleading guilty to charges of kidnapping, carjacking and processing a firearm to commit a violent crime. He is set to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2025, by Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga.
