PBSO: Ride turns into carjacking
THE ACREAGE — An Acreage man was arrested Saturday for allegedly threatening to shoot three men, then driving away in their car after they picked him up as a hitchhiker, the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office said.
Naquan Mack, 20, is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. He faces felony charges of armed carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Mack was convicted of robbery charges in 2016, Palm Beach County court records.
The driver told investigators he was out in his Nissan Altima with two friends Saturday when he saw Mack standing on the corner of Southern and Forest Hill boulevards in Wellington, according to arrest records.
Mack allegedly approached the Altima and asked for a ride to State Road 7. The victim said he agreed because he felt badly for Mack, who was standing in the rain.
When the car reached State Road 7 and Southern, Mack then requested to be dropped off at State Road 7 and Persimmon Boulevard in The Acreage, according to the report. The driver told Mack that was the farthest he would take him.
When they arrived, Mack got out and ran into a wooded area while the driver made a three-point turn to leave. Mack then emerged with a backpack, got back in the car and pulled out a silver handgun, according to the report.
“Don’t (expletive) move and give me all your (expletive),” Mack allegedly told the victim, according to the report. The driver reported to deputies having about $500 in the glove compartment of his car.
The backseat passenger grabbed Mack’s hand and pinned it up to the ceiling, causing an altercation, according to the report. The three passengers said they then fled the car.
While running away, they saw Mack get into the driver’s seat, flee the scene, then stop to wipe down the vehicle with a cloth, according to the report.
Deputies found Mack along a canal in the 11000 block of 52nd Road North in The Acreage, according to the report. Mack allegedly began to run away when he saw the deputies, who reported finding a gun, marijuana and $600 in his backpack.