MAITLAND, Fla. — An 18-year-old Mainland High School student went in front of a judge Friday on charges she used the “Meet Me” mobile app to lure men to South Daytona to be carjacked.
Kyandrea Cook is accused of using the scheme to lure at least two victims to spots along South Ridgewood Avenue.
The victims would think they were meeting a girl they met online, but when they arrived they were met by a group of armed, masked men who demanded their car keys, investigators said.
One of the victims told Channel 9 that he was with his friend when they went to meet who they thought was a girl.
When they arrived and the men tried to carjack them, Perry Nida’s friend tried to wrestle the gun away from one of the attackers and was shot.
“All I could feel was the laser pointer on my face,” Nida said. “That’s how hot it was and how close it was.”
Cook was arrested at Mainland High School.
Her mother, Lashawnda Ponder, broke down in tears outside the Volusia County courthouse Friday.
“It’s hard,” she said. “It’s hard for any mother to see their child in jail, sitting behind bars.”
Cook was charged with two counts of using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, two counts of carjacking with a deadly weapon, attempted felony murder, and several other charges.
She was being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail.
Cox Media Group
