Miami, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, a 24-year-old man, Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez, has been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison for kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the victim to drive the defendant from Texas to South Florida.
According to court documents, on or about August 16, at around 10:30 p.m., Victim 1 was working as a driver for a ride-sharing application near Arlington, Texas, when Pastran Hernandez picked him up. Victim 1 drove Pastran Hernandez to his destination, which was a gas station that appeared to be closed. After a short time, Victim 1 heard the click of a gun being chambered and saw Pastran Hernandez holding what appeared to be a firearm.
Pastran Hernandez ordered Victim 1 to tie him up and put him in the back of the vehicle, but instead, he instructed Victim 1 to drive to Florida. Pastran Hernandez used a mobile application on his cellphone to see where law enforcement was located along the drive and instructed Victim 1 to avoid those areas. Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that he had other guns in the car, inside his luggage. While driving from Texas to Florida, Pastran Hernandez discovered that Victim 1 had a blue handgun in the vehicle. The firearm was unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately in the vehicle. Pastran Hernandez loaded the ammunition into the firearm and kept it on his person for the duration of the kidnapping.
On or about August 18, Pastran Hernandez and Victim 1 arrived in Miami Beach, Florida, where Pastran Hernandez surveilled the residence of another potential victim (Victim 2). Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that Victim 2 was a social media influencer, and that Pastran Hernandez intended to kidnap Victim 2 or someone in Victim 2’s family for a $3,000,000 ransom.
On or about August 19, Pastran Hernandez made Victim 1 drive to a store in Hialeah, Florida, to buy supplies for the kidnapping of Victim 2. Pastran Hernandez held onto Victim 1’s car keys, while Victim 1 used the restroom. Around that time, police officers arrived at the store and Pastran Hernandez fled the area on foot.
Law enforcement located Pastran Hernandez at a park in Hollywood, Florida, a few hours later. On Pastran Hernandez’s person, inside a cross-body bag, was Victim 1’s blue handgun. The firearm was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber. Inside Pastran Hernandez’s backpack, which was in Victim 1’s car, law enforcement later discovered multiple Airsoft or BB guns, knives, a black mask, hat, sunglasses, binoculars, walkie-talkies, zip-ties, and other items.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hannah prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Related Federal Cases
- Salih Zeki Uces, International Parental Kidnapping, Florida 2016 · Texas
- Carlos Otavio Guimaraes, International Parental Kidnapping, Florida · Oklahoma
- Travis B. Hall, Armed Robbery, Florida 2018 · Texas
- Alejandro Richard Velasquez Gomez, Interstate Threatening Communication, Florida 2022 · Texas
- David Knezevich, International Kidnapping, Florida 2024 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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