A 23-year-old Sierra Leonean man is facing serious charges in the United States after allegedly kidnapping and stabbing a 15-year-old girl in Baltimore, Maryland.
Abubakarr Barrie was arrested by Baltimore Police and charged with attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping and related offences following the incident on 22 October.
According to police and charging documents, the teenager accepted a ride from Barrie, who was operating an unlicensed taxi (locally known as a “hack”). Instead of taking her to her requested destination, he drove her to a basement room he was renting on Garrison Boulevard.
Once inside, he allegedly became violent, stabbed the girl several times and attempted to remove her clothing. She fought back, struck him with a fire extinguisher, escaped barefoot and without clothes, and eventually found help nearby. She was taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds, including a collapsed lung, and is expected to survive. Police tracked Barrie using the victim’s phone and Cash App details he had provided; he was arrested two days later.
Barrie is being held without bond. Court records list him as a full-time Uber Eats driver who had recently returned to the Baltimore address after time in New York. His public defender noted he had no prior convictions and was working toward a GED.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer against Barrie on 24 October, requesting that Maryland authorities not release him. ICE identified him as a Sierra Leone national who entered the United States without authorisation through Arizona in December 2023. He was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and later released into the country.
In July 2026, Barrie had been arrested by New York City police on a charge of third-degree possession of a forged instrument. ICE lodged a detainer at that time as well, but local authorities released him.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement highlighting the case and calling on Maryland authorities to honour the current detainer.
Barrie remains in custody pending further court proceedings.