2 suspected carjackers shot by Lyft driver in West Philadelphia face federal charges
Two men are facing federal charges after prosecutors said they were shot by a Lyft driver during an attempted carjacking.
PHILADELPHIA - Federal prosecutors on Thursday brought charges against two suspected carjackers who were both shot by a Lyft driver when they tried to steal his car at gunpoint in West Philadelphia.
United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Alex Fernandez-Pena, 32, and Juan Jose Rodriguez, 20, are facing charges of carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to investigators, on Jan. 3 Fernandez-Pena and Rodriguez are accused of using a Honda Accord to rear-end a Lyft driver who was carrying a passenger on North 40th Street.
When the Lyft driver exited his Infiniti G37, authorities said Fernandez-Pena pointed a 12-gauge shotgun at him and got into his car. The passenger escaped out the backdoor and was not hurt.
Investigators said the Lyft driver was licensed to carry a firearm and shot Fernandez-Pena before he took off with his car. He then shot Rodriguez when he threatened to run him over with the Honda.
Both men were brought to local hospitals and survived their injuries.
If convicted, Fernandez-Pena and Rodriguez face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, as well as a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration.
"The defendants allegedly committed a brazen carjacking at gunpoint in the middle of the afternoon in busy neighborhood," Arbittier Williams said in a statement.
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