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4 men accused of holding up Lyft driver at gunpoint, carjacking her
DeKalb County police say four men lured a Lyft driver to a Stone Mountain neighborhood over the weekend and robber her at gunpoint.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Police in DeKalb County are trying to identify four men who lured a Lyft driver into a Stone Mountain neighborhood and robbed her at gunpoint over the weekend.
It happened just after 3 a.m., according to DeKalb County police, who said the woman was answering a call off of Hitt Lake Court last Saturday. Days later, Nika Pee said she is still shaken up by the incident.
"What was going through my head is, ‘Oh, my gosh…this is it…I’m gonna die,’" Pee said. "All I could think about was my kids honestly."
For the 29-year-old mother of three, driving Lyft late night was just a way to make some extra money, but she said her last ride on September 18 almost cost her life.
"I’ve been crying over the last four or five days, so I honestly feel like I cannot produce anymore tears…that’s how I feel," Pee explained.
According to DeKalb County police, the woman had received a request to pick up a rider named ‘James’ in the neighborhood. That’s where she saw two men standing on the street.
"Completely normal…one person got inside the car, the other person walked around to the opposite side of the vehicle. Instead of getting in the vehicle, said individual opened up my driver's side door," Pee said.
Before she could hit the OnStar button inside her car or reach her phone, she said that man pointed a gun at her and two others joined them.
"He put the gun underneath my chin and kind of lifted my head up a little bit…at that point, I put my hands up and I’m like ‘you know…I have children, take what you want and go’," she said.
Pee said when the men took off in her car, she ran to several homes for help but only one neighbor answered.
"I think about my own daughter…if she was caught out there or something like that happened to her I would hope that someone would come to her defense or be able to help her," Patreia Jones said.
Jones said she was in a deep sleep, but something told her to wake up.
"God felt the need for me to open up the door, so this young lady could get the help that she needed."
Ring cameras video shows a Lyft driver getting helped by a resident near the area she was carjacked in DeKalb County.
Pee said she’s thankful to be alive and hopes telling her story will serve as a warning to other rideshare drivers to be vigilant. DeKalb County police did find her car about eight minutes from here where the ride was actually supposed to end.
In a statement from Lyft, a spokesperson said:
"Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the incident described is horrific. We have permanently removed the rider account from the Lyft platform, have been in contact with the driver to offer our support, and stand ready to assist law enforcement. While these crimes are by no means unique to rideshare, they are absolutely unacceptable and we're committed to doing everything we can to help keep drivers safe."
Anyone with information about this case should contact the DeKalb County Police Department.