Men wanted for allegedly threatening female jitney driver with gun, forcing her to flee police

Arrest warrants have been issued for two men after a female jitney driver told police they threatened her life and forced her to flee a traffic stop.

Tyler Johnson, 21, of West Mifflin, and Prentis Rose, 22, of Pittsburgh, are facing a list of charges including kidnapping for the alleged incident.

Pittsburgh police stopped the female driver along Hamilton Avenue in Homewood just after 1:30 a.m. Nov. 29, according to court documents.

Police said they asked for identification since the occupants — the female driver and two male passengers — weren’t wearing their seat belts. Rose and Tyler allegedly provided false names and Rose allegedly provided a fake I.D.

Rose slammed the passenger door shut as an officer was ordering him to exit the vehicle, according to the complaint. He allegedly put the car in drive.

The car fled at a high rate of speed, nearly striking officers, according to the complaint. It was last seen heading into Wilkinsburg. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle.

Police said they were called by the female driver of the vehicle a few hours later. She told officers she is jitney driver and did not know Johnson and Rose, or even their real names, when she picked them up.

She said when officers activated their lights, Rose and Johnson told her to be calm.

The woman said they threatened her with a gun and said they would kill her if she didn’t do what they told her to do. She said they told her to turn off the vehicle lights and drive after fleeing police.

The woman told police she believes Rose and Johnson got out of the vehicle in East Pittsburgh or Forest Hills.

Police were able to identify them because they both have active warrants, according to court documents.

Rose is charged with kidnapping, conspiracy - kidnapping for ransom, flight to avoid apprehension, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, escape, terroristic threats, simple assault, reckless endangerment, providing false identification to law enforcement, gun violations and a seatbelt violation.

Johnson is charged with kidnapping, conspiracy - kidnapping for ransom, flight to avoid apprehension, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and escape.

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