Records: Man accused of posing as rideshare driver, kidnapping woman faces 3 charges
An Austin man faces three separate charges after police said he posed as a rideshare driver March 5 and kidnapped a woman in east Austin, according to Travis County court documents.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man faces three separate charges after police said he posed as a rideshare driver March 5 and kidnapped a woman in east Austin, according to Travis County court documents.
According to records, Little Abe Hill, 40, faces felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
An APD report said on March 5, at approximately 3:30 a.m. dispatch received a call to the intersection of East 14th Street and Comal Street saying a man in a black sedan abducted a woman at gunpoint and left the scene in the vehicle.
The caller said he was in downtown with the woman, and after a night of drinking, they attempted to hail a rideshare.
The report claims that a black sedan driven by Hill pulled up to the victims, and believing the vehicle to be a rideshare, they both sat in the backseat. The woman passed out shortly after getting in, according to the caller.
“After driving a short distance, Hill abruptly pulled over his vehicle, exited the vehicle, pointed a handgun at [the man’s] head and told him to get out of the car,” according to records.
Hill allegedly pulled the man out of the vehicle and got back into the driver’s seat before leaving the scene with the woman still inside the vehicle. The man later told police he feared for his life, as well as the life of the woman, who was passed out in the backseat of the vehicle.
According to court records, the man used his smartwatch to track his phone, which was still inside the vehicle.
The phone allegedly tracked to a residence in the 6800 block of Shannon Drive, which was approximately a 6.6-mile drive from the intersection where the victims were picked up.
At 3:54 a.m., officers arrived at the residence and could hear a vehicle running inside the closed garage. According to records, officers knocked on the door several times and Hill eventually answered.
“Hill told officers the car was still on because someone was in it,” a report said. “Fearing for the safety of [the woman], and believing her to be inside the vehicle in Hill’s garage, officers detained Hill, entered the garage, and located [the woman] passed out in the backseat of the running vehicle.”
APD says that during an interview with a detective, Hill admitted to picking up the victim from downtown Austin and driving her to his residence. Records said he told the detective that he left her in the running vehicle because he did not want to have to drag her into the house.
Police said Hill stated he did not pick up anyone else except the woman, and he brought her to his house because she was too intoxicated to provide her address.
Later in the day, officers executed a search warrant of Hill’s residence and found two firearms, one of which was similar to the pistol described by the male victim.
Hill was arrested and later released on bond Tuesday, March 7. His bond totaled $135,000 from the three charges.