Man found driving car stolen in downtown Fort Lauderdale kidnapping arrested
A man who led authorities on a chase through Broward into Palm Beach County in a car that was stolen early Friday morning in downtown Fort Lauderdale during a kidnapping has been arrested, but it was not immediately clear whether he was the armed suspect who entered the victim’s car and forced the man to drive around for hours.
Lias Corker, 34, of Lauderdale Lakes, faces charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding, reckless driving and driving with a revoked license, court records show. He was held in the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center on Monday afternoon.
The victim was in his Kia Optima near the 300 block of Southwest First Avenue shortly before 6:30 a.m. Friday when a suspect armed with a gun got into the car ordered him to drive for two hours The suspect beat the man up before letting the victim out and driving off in the Kia.
Fort Lauderdale Police spotted the stolen Kia shortly before 2 p.m. Friday and started a pursuit with other law enforcement agencies north on Florida’s Turnpike into Palm Beach County. Within minutes, Corker was in custody, police said.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper said in Corker’s probable cause affidavit that the driver was “driving extremely recklessly” on the right outside shoulder of the turnpike, swerving from lane to lane “extremely aggressively.”
The trooper attempted a PIT maneuver but missed, and at one point, the driver slammed on the brakes, causing the trooper to pass him, according to the affidavit, before going back into the shoulder. The trooper attempted a PIT maneuver a second time, but the driver braked, crashing into the trooper.
The affidavit does not provide further details aside from the trooper writing he ended the pursuit, which continued north, where the driver was identified as Corker, and troopers arrested him.
Police have not said whether Corker was the armed suspect in the carjacking or kidnapping, and court records show he is facing charges stemming only from the pursuit.
The attorney representing him did not immediately respond to a voicemail or email seeking comment.
Corker has two pending felony cases in Broward County, most recently from earlier this month.
He was arrested on Aug. 9 after a U-Haul he was driving on I-95 blew a tire and began sparking and an officer followed him off the highway to State Road 84. Corker bailed from the truck, where officers found a baggie of PVP inside. Authorities found Corker hiding on a roof, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Court records show he was released on bond in that case on Aug. 14.
In June, Corker was arrested on charges of robbery without a weapon and resisting without violence. He has several past felony arrests in the county and previously served time in state prison.
Florida Department of Corrections inmate records say Corker was released most recently from state prison in March.
Fort Lauderdale Police are simultaneously investigating another similar carjacking and kidnapping that happened in the downtown Fort Lauderdale area shortly before 5 a.m. Aug. 12. The suspect in that incident has not yet been identified.
A woman and a man were inside a parked car near the 100 block of Southwest Second Avenue when an armed man confronted them, ultimately taking off in the car with the woman still in the passenger seat, Fort Lauderdale Police said.
The armed suspect, who police have released a photo of, drove the woman around for two hours, stopped at an ATM in an attempt to get cash from the victim and sexually assaulted her. He eventually let her go, and she called 911 about 7:30 a.m. from her broken-down car on Interstate 95.
“Though there are several similar circumstances between the two incidents, we are not yet able to determine if the incidents are related or if the same suspect is responsible,” Casey Liening, a police department spokesperson, said in an email Monday.
Fort Lauderdale Police are concerned for the public’s safety as they continue to investigate both incidents and urge residents to “be aware of your surroundings and always report suspicious activity to police,” Liening said.
Officers passed out flyers with a photo of the suspect from the Aug. 12 kidnapping in the downtown area Friday afternoon, and by a few hours later, were pursuing the stolen Kia from that morning’s separate carjacking and kidnapping.
Fort Lauderdale Police are investigating tips from the public in both cases and encourage anyone who may recognize the suspect in Saturday’s incident to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-471-8477.
