High-profile case of Beavercreek Lyft driver killed during robbery: What happens next?
Apr. 14—Multiple court cases were filed in connection to the death of a Beavercreek Lyft driver in January 2022, including criminal cases involving two teen suspects and a lawsuit against multiple defendants, including Lyft and the two teens.
Brandon Cooper, 35, was shot early Jan. 26, 2022, during an attempted robbery in Dayton after a group of teens reportedly used the Lyft rideshare app to lure Cooper by hiring him for a ride.
Two teen suspects had their cases moved to adult court. Here's where the cases stand and what's next.
What happened? — Dayton police responded around 2 a.m. Jan. 26, 2022, to Ferguson Avenue after a vehicle's OnStar system reported a possible crash. Officers found Cooper dead inside the vehicle. He reportedly was shot in the back. — Investigators determined the homicide was connected to a robbery earlier that morning after a different Lyft driver reported her cellphone, wallet and car were stolen. — Police found the stolen vehicle around 3 a.m. on Anna Street. When officers approached a house three people refused to come outside, prompting a SWAT standoff. Four juveniles eventually were taken into custody.
Who is facing charges? — Two teen boys were charged in Cooper's death. Both boys, who were 15 at the time of the shooting, initially were charged in juvenile court with aggravated robbery and aggravated murder. The Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office filed a motion in February 2022 for the teens, both from Dayton, to be tried as adults. Two other juveniles charged in the incident were found to be amenable to treatment in the juvenile justice system. — Montgomery County Juvenile Court Judge Helen Wallace approved the case of one of the suspects, Da'Trayvon Mitchell, to be transferred to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. A grand jury indicted him Dec. 22, 2022, on charges of murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, grand theft of a motor vehicle and discharge of a firearm on a public road or highway. — Wallace on Sept. 6, 2023, approved for the case against the second teen be transferred to adult court. Tylan Amir Peaks was indicted Sept. 20, 2023, on charges of murder, aggravated robbery, grand theft of a motor vehicle, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. — Mitchell, now 17, pleaded guilty June 25, 2024, to one count each of murder and aggravated robbery. A dozen charges, including murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, tampering with evidence and grand theft (motor vehicle) were dismissed as part of his plea agreement. — Peaks, also now 17, pleaded guilty July 9, 2024, to 17 felony charges: four counts of murder, six counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of felonious assault, one count of tampering with evidence and four counts of grand theft (motor vehicle) for incidents involving a Kia Forte, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. No counts were dismissed as part of his plea, records show. — Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Dennis Adkins on July 31, 2024, sentenced Mitchell to 25 years to life and he sentenced Peaks to 27 years to life in prison.
What's happening in the civil lawsuit? — Cooper's family filed a civil suit in December 2022 against Lyft, Mitchell, Peaks and five John and Jane Does who are Lyft employees responsible for the company's protocols and policies. — The lawsuit claims Lyft was negligent and caused Cooper's death and that the company fails to implement effective safety measures to protect drivers. It also argues Lyft didn't use all available safety features, such as forcing users with anonymous payment methods to verify their identity. — In September 2023, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman ruled against Lyft's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming in part that the company has no legal duty to protect against third party acts that were not foreseeable. In a memo opposing the motion to dismiss, the legal team for the Cooper family claimed Lyft ignored multiple signs Cooper was in danger and chose to ignore signs that Dayton drivers were in danger. Lyft responded, saying the company offers multiple payment options to support users who may not have access to traditional finance services. It said it cannot tell whether a passenger will commit a crime based on form of payment, and said a string of phone thefts in the Dayton area was not a clear sign the account used in Cooper's death posed a threat. — Judge Mary Wiseman dismissed the lawsuit against Lyft in March 2025. The family's attorney filed a notice to appeal to the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals on April 2, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
2 area men indicted after pursuit ending in wrong-way crash on I-75
Jun. 14—Two men have been indicted after they were accused of fleeing from police and causing a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75. James Robert Collins, 46, of Dayton and Thomas Russell Downey, 49, of Fairborn, were each indicted in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and obstructing official business. Collis was also indicted for one county of vehicular assault. According to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office, their charges stem from June 5, 2025. That evening, Collins was driving a GMC Sierra with no visible registration when a Perry Twp. police officer tried to pull the pickup truck over at Wolf Creek Pike and Diamond Mill Road, according to an affidavit filed in Montgomery County Municipal Court Western Division. Downey was riding in the truck bed, and there were two passengers in the truck, though the passengers are not facing charges. The pickup fled, but was tracked by an Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter. During the pursuit, Downey started throwing lumber out of the bed of the truck, the affidavit said. The prosecutor's office said that law enforcement successfully deployed stop stick tire deflation devices on Little Richmond Road near Ohio 49. However, Collins managed to regain control while driving on rims, the affidavit said. He drove the pickup truck on the wrong side of the road on U.S. 35 West and on I-75 North, followed by deputies with lights and sirens activated, according to the sheriff's office. On I-75 at Dryden Road, the pickup truck crashed into another vehicle head-on, causing a crash that involved six vehicles. All four people in the pickup fled on foot but were taken into custody, the sheriff's office said. The prosecutor's office said that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of which was seriously hurt. They added that Collins' driver's license was suspended at the time. Collins and Downey are scheduled to be arraigned June 26.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Ex-officer barred after accessing personal data
A police officer has been barred from serving again after covertly recording confidential information. Joshua Ellis, who has since resigned from Leicestershire Police, was found to have deliberately and secretly made six audio recordings on his personal phone, as well as taking pictures on the same device during a drugs raid, a misconduct hearing found. The recordings, made between April and October 2020, captured the personal details of his colleagues and members of the public, including names and addresses, and details concerning criminal offences. A panel heard his colleagues said the former officer had "breached their trust by recording them in secret". Mr Ellis admitted to secretly making four recordings and taking photos without telling colleagues. He denied another three instances were done knowingly, with two of those ruled intentional by hearing chairman Steven Cooper, and the third accidental. Mr Cooper accepted Mr Ellis required reasonable adjustments, but said this did not make the use of his personal phone "the correct course of action". He added the former officer had chosen "not to use those devices that were provided and recommended to him" and instead used one that was "insecure and had it been lost, would have contained data that was extremely sensitive". His actions were "clearly in breach of data protection rules" and he should have known this as he had only completed training on this a little more than two months before, the panel chairman added. Mr Cooper ruled that Mr Ellis's behaviour, while not intended to cause harm to his colleagues or the police, was "inappropriate and inexplicable". He added that Mr Ellis should have "foreseen the risk of harm by storing personal and operational data on his personal phone". Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Leicestershire Police Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
2 indicted of pursuit ending in wrong-way crash on I-75
Jun. 13—Two men have been indicted after they were accused of fleeing from police and causing a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75. James Robert Collins, 46, of Dayton and Thomas Russell Downey, 49, of Fairborn, were each indicted in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and obstructing official business. Collis was also indicted for one county of vehicular assault. According to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office, their charges stem from June 5, 2025. That evening, Collins was driving a GMC Sierra with no visible registration when a Perry Twp. police officer tried to pull the pickup truck over at Wolf Creek Pike and Diamond Mill Road, according to an affidavit filed in Montgomery County Municipal Court Western Division. Downey was riding in the truck bed, and there were two passengers in the truck, though the passengers are not facing charges. The pickup fled, but was tracked by an Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter. During the pursuit, Downey started throwing lumber out of the bed of the truck, the affidavit said. The prosecutor's office said that law enforcement successfully deployed stop stick tire deflation devices on Little Richmond Road near Ohio 49. However, Collins managed to regain control while driving on rims, the affidavit said. He drove the pickup truck on the wrong side of the road on U.S. 35 West and on I-75 North, followed by deputies with lights and sirens activated, according to the sheriff's office. On I-75 at Dryden Road, the pickup truck crashed into another vehicle head-on, causing a crash that involved six vehicles. All four people in the pickup fled on foot but were taken into custody, the sheriff's office said. The prosecutor's office said that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of which was seriously hurt. They added that Collins' driver's license was suspended at the time. Collins and Downey are scheduled to be arraigned June 26.
