4th Minnesotan Sentenced for Violent Lyft & Uber Carjacking Plot

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News)- The fourth and final defendant in what’s been described as a violent Minnesota rideshare carjacking conspiracy has been sentenced.

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That’s according to a news release issued Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. The four men are also accused of robbing their victims.

Court documents say the four Minneapolis residents conspired to lure the rideshare drivers to specific locations where they would brandish a firearm and order the drivers out of their vehicles. They’re also accused of striking the drivers with their pistols and beating them before taking keys, wallets and cell phones.

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The drivers would also unlock their phone and share passcodes to give the men access to their Cash App accounts and other money-sharing services, federal court documents say.

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Prosecutors say the defendants conducted the carjacking and robbery scheme in September and October of 2021 in Minneapolis. The final defendant to be sentenced in the case, identified as 21-year-old William Charles Saffold, is also accused of pointing a gun at an FBI agent who was trying to arrest him before fleeing on foot in May of 2022.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence and one count of assaulting a federal officer and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

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The three other defendants, identified as Shevirio Kavirion Childs-Young, 20, Javeyon Demario Tate, 23, and Eric Harrell Knight, 20 also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence.

U.S. Attorney's Office Minnesota news release

They were sentenced to prison terms followed by three years of supervised release earlier this month. Knight was sentenced to 60 months in prison, Tate received a 78-month prison sentence and Childs-Young was handed a 96-month prison sentence.

“The defendants targeted innocent people who were simply doing their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “The crimes committed by these four men contributed to the sharp increase in violent carjackings throughout the Twin Cities in recent years and left victims with physical and emotional scars. I commend our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing these defendants to justice.”