A repeat offender who kidnapped, carjacked, and robbed and Orlando Uber driver.
An Orange County jury found 27-year-old Richard Warren guilty of Kidnapping with Intent to Inflict Harm/Terror with Firearm, Carjacking with a Firearm and Robbery with a Firearm after the incident earlier this year.
On July 20, 2024, Warren requested a ride using the rideshare app Uber. Shortly after pickup, Warren pulled a gun on the driver, threatened him and forced him to visit various locations throughout Orange County. Warren ordered the victim into the trunk of his own vehicle at an auto parts store.
Later, he also demanded the victim remove his clothes. After continuing to drive, the defendant arrived at an intersection in the 8200 block of Universal Boulevard. He told the victim to get out of the car. The victim got out, leaving his belongings in the vehicle and Warren drove off. The victim ran to the nearest hotel and called 911.
The victim used the Find My iPhone app to locate his mobile phone, which was still in the vehicle, and shared the location with Orange County Sheriff’s detectives. Deputies tracked the phone to an apartment complex in the 3700 block of S. Rio Grande Avenue in Orlando where they located the victim’s vehicle.
Deputies initiated surveillance on the vehicle and observed Warren getting in and driving away. They followed him for 45 minutes to a Walmart in Kissimmee where they took him into custody. The defendant had the driver’s license, credit card and other belongings hidden in his sock.
After a three-day trial, a jury found Warren guilty of all three charges and probation violations stemming from previous convictions.
Warren served over nine years in prison for several charges related to a 2013 home invasion and an attack on a fellow inmate in jail. The Department of Corrections released him in June 2023. According to Florida Law, any violent felony committed within three years of prison release qualifies a defendant for prison release re-offender status and makes them eligible for the statutory maximum sentence.
A judge sentenced Warren to life in prison, the only available sentence for a prison release re-offender. He also received an additional 40 years for violating probation.
An assistant state attorney from the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Violent Crimes Unit prosecuted this case.
