WASHINGTON — Editors Note: This video above aired on September 8, 2021.
Taheed Ebron, 21, and Nathan Coleman, 29, both of Washington, D.C. pleaded guilty on Friday to abducting two men at gunpoint over a five-day period in August of 2021. In both incidents, the pair used blindfolds and zip ties to restrain their victims according to courts documents.
Following the government’s evidence, on Aug. 24, 2021, at around 10:45 p.m., Ebron and Coleman kidnapped a man at gunpoint while he was walking home in the 1300 block of Corcoran Street NW.
In this attack, the defendants pulled the victim's COVID facemask over his eyes and blindfolded him and forced him into the rear of Ebron's SUV, according to officials. The suspects then demanded that the victim hand over his cellphone, credit/debit cards and all of his PINs (Personal Identification Numbers).
After all of this happened, the defendants then drove the man to multiple ATMs and used his cards to withdraw more than $1,400 from his accounts.
They also used the man’s cards and cellphone to make a series of purchases and transactions, including a $1,200 PayPal transfer, the U.S. Attorney's office for D.C. said in a release.
Ebron and Coleman eventually released the man from the SUV, forcing him to lay face down on the ground in an alley before driving away.
The victim spoke with WUSA9 earlier this year.
“They dumped me in an alley still zip-tied, car pulled up, one of them pushed me out got out with me, car took off, held me down and said ‘count to 30’ took the hood off and he ran,” the victim explained.
Just days later, on Aug. 28, 2021, just before 4 a.m., Ebron and Coleman kidnapped another man at gunpoint near the intersection of 13th and E Streets NE while the victim was riding an electric scooter on the way to work.
After seeing the man, Ebron parked his SUV at the intersection of 13th and E St NE, and Ebron, Coleman, and the third perpetrator got out of the vehicle. The defendants ran toward the man caught him and threw him to the ground, it said in the release.
They then hooded him using a drawstring bag and restrained his hands with zip ties that Ebron and Coleman had purchased the previous day. The defendants forced the man into the SUV and demanded his wallet, cellphone, and PINs. They drove him to an ATM and withdrew more than $1,000 from his bank account.
Ebron and Coleman eventually released the man from the vehicle, instructing him to run straight ahead and not look back or else be shot.
The defendants then used his debit card to make a series of purchases and withdrawals.
Both Ebron and Coleman plead guilty in Superior Court of D.C. to two counts of armed kidnapping. An unidentified 14-year-old has also been arrested in connection to the kidnappings. That case is being handled by the juvenile courts and details are unavailable due to the suspect's age.
These guilty pleas are based upon the Court's approval, the U.S. Attorney's office for D.C. said in a press release. Ebron’s plea calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison, and Coleman’s plea calls for eight to 10 years in prison. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2022.
A joint MPD and FBI investigation led to Coleman’s arrest on Sept. 6, 2021, and Ebron’s arrest the following day. Both have been in custody since their arrests.