On Oct. 7, 18-year-old Nico Ekenedo was arrested for the alleged kidnapping of a Charlotte-area cab driver. According to the cab driver, Ekenedo called the driver and requested the cab to pick him up from The Edge, an apartment complex less than a mile from the UNC Charlotte campus. Once the cab driver arrived, Ekenedo allegedly drew a gun on the driver and demanded he drive off. The driver refused Ekenedo’s demands.
Ekenedo, still armed, then fled on foot to the nearby University’s campus, where he is not a student. The cab driver alerted police, and later that day police located and placed Ekenedo into custody.
It was unclear whether Ekenedo posed a threat to anyone on campus.
Most students and faculty were off campus during the incident due to fall break. According to reports, students on campus at the time were alerted of the situation.
Just four days after his arrest on Oct. 7, Ekenedo was arrested again for larceny of a motor vehicle. Five days after that he was arrested again for alleged armed robbery of Insomnia Cookies.
Ekenedo now faces several class A felony charges including larceny of a motor vehicle, attempted kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a gun on educational property. If convicted, Ekenedo could be sentenced to life in prison.
Ekenedo has a court date in late November for misdemeanor cyber bullying.