Rideshare driver arrested, charged with aggravated kidnapping, Friendswood police say

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- A rideshare driver has been arrested and charged with the aggravated kidnapping of a woman, according to the Friendswood Police Department.

On June 28, officers received reports of a 21-year-old woman who had been picked up by a pre-scheduled rideshare driver in Galveston shortly before 3 a.m.

Police said the woman's relatives were aware of her taking a rideshare and were notified that her ride had ended at their Friendswood residence.

However, the police department said relatives noticed she was not in the Friendswood home and instead tracked her location to a vacant business parking lot.

After driving to the location, police said family members spotted the vehicle in the parking lot, found the woman in the front seat of the car, and took her home.

Friendswood PD said the woman told her family she had been drinking earlier in the evening and was falling in and out of sleep on the ride home.

Detectives said they later learned the driver, identified as 49-year-old Sameh Chami, had intentionally ended the ride without reaching her Friendswood destination.

Chami was issued a warrant for aggravated kidnapping and taken into custody on Wednesday, officials said.

Authorities said Chami was booked into the Friendswood City Jail, and a detainer was set for him due to his immigration status.

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