DOJ: Group accused in multi-state crime spree could spend life in prison for gunpoint sexual assault
Delaware State Police: 4 charged in multi-state scheme to lure drivers from cars by rear-ending them
Police say one of the suspects held a woman at gunpoint, forcing her into the passenger seat of her own vehicle, where she was sexually assaulted and then left on the side of a Pennsylvania road as the suspect fled in her car.
PHILADELPHIA - Four men accused of a multi-state scheme to lure drivers from their cars by rear-ending them could face life in prison, according to the Department of Justice.
Authorities say 24-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 23-year-old David Hinson, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell, and 20-year-old Mahkya Powell conspired to rear-end drivers and then rob them when they exited their vehicles.
Delaware State Police: 4 charged in multi-state scheme to lure drivers from cars by rear-ending them
Police say one of the suspects held a woman at gunpoint, forcing her into the passenger seat of her own vehicle, where she was sexually assaulted and then left on the side of a Pennsylvania road as the suspect fled in her car.
According to officials, on the morning of April 14, troopers responded to Marsh and Naamans Roads in Wilmington, Delaware for a suspicious vehicle reported from a 911 call where a driver said she was being "brake-checked" by a driver in a black Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Police say the Jeep stopped in front of the driver, causing them to stop before the Jeep's front passenger got out and ran into the woods, police say.
Later, dispatchers received a 911 call about a collision in the area of Thompson Bridge and Guyencourt Roads, authorities say.
During this incident, a driver was rear-ended by the Jeep and the suspect driving the vehicle got out, approached the victim and then fled the scene in the car.
The spree continued when another 911 call came into dispatchers for a suspicious vehicle in the area of Kennett Pike and Twadell Mill, where a person reported a vehicle matching the same description tailgating her, police say. According to authorities, the Jeep eventually fled the area.
Later in the morning, Delaware and Pennsylvania State Police responded to a motor vehicle collision in the area of Creek Road at the Pennsylvania state line. Law enforcement authorities say an investigation revealed a woman was rear-ended by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee before driving a short distance into Delaware, where she pulled into a private driveway on Montchanin Road.
The Jeep also pulled over and McNair-Matthews approached the woman, held her at gunpoint, forcing her back into her vehicle, police say.
According to the Department of Justice, McNair-Matthews then drove the woman against her will to Pennsylvania, where during the ride, he forced her to remove her clothes and demanded she hand over her PIN codes.
4 arrested in connection with abduction, sexual assault of female driver in Delaware, police say
Delaware State Police are searching for two suspects they say intentiuonally rear-ended a woman, kidnapped and sexually assaulted her after she got out to assess the damage to her vehicle.
Police say when they arrived in Pennsylvania, McNair-Matthews forcibly raped the woman, took her personal belongings, left her and fled in her vehicle, which he drove to Delaware convenience stores to take money out of her bank accounts.
Federal authorities say McNair-Matthews then met up with Hinson, Powell, and Caldwell in Wilmington and delivered the woman's bank cards, pin numbers and a ghost gun.
Under the direction of McNair-Matthews, the other three suspects cleaned the woman's car and removed her personal property before Hinson and Caldwell used a stolen Nissan Pathfinder to go to local gas stations and withdraw more money.
During this time, McNair-Matthews, who changed clothes, and Powell drove the Jeep to Delaware gas stations to meet Hinson and Caldwell.
Police say they tracked the suspects to a Wilmington gas station, where McNair-Matthews and Powell escaped in a high-speed chase.
Hinson and Caldwell were taken into custody after crashing the Nissan Pathfinder while being chased by police, officials say.
Mcnair-Matthews was arrested later that day in Maryland and Powell was taken into custody days later.
Federal officials say all four suspects face Carjacking, Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery and related charges.
McNair-Matthews faces additional charges of rape and robbery, while the other three suspects are charged as accessories for that offense.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the DOJ.