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BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. – A blind passenger who called 911 to report he was being held hostage by his taxi driver admitted he made up the part about a gun because he wanted police to arrive faster, according to the officers’ narratives.
Juan Manuel Lopez was booked June 5, 2026, on a charge of false report of a crime after a high-risk stop on Interstate 75 near mile marker 293 in Cartersville, records show. The stop followed a Bartow County 911 broadcast about a possible kidnapping involving a firearm.
According to the reports, Lopez told dispatchers that his taxi driver had kidnapped him and had a gun and “was going to shoot.” Officers stopped a white Toyota Sienna with Illinois plates. One officer drew his department-issued pistol and gave commands for the occupants to show their hands. Because Lopez is blind, dispatchers kept him on the phone and had him place his hands on the roof of the van until officers could clear the vehicle, one narrative states.
The driver was detained in handcuffs and read his rights. He told officers he had picked Lopez up at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and agreed to drive him to an Atlanta nightclub for $3,000, according to the reports. The driver said the roughly 11-hour trip had gone well, and that Lopez only asked for periodic updates on their location “because he could not see.”
The driver said Lopez became irate once they were about an hour from Atlanta and demanded to be let out. According to one narrative, the driver told Lopez they were on the interstate in the dark, that it was unsafe to let him out, and asked if he could continue driving the remaining 48 minutes, and Lopez agreed. Shortly after, the driver said, he heard Lopez on the phone reporting that he was being held hostage.
An officer wrote that he became “suspicious of Juan’s testimony” given that Lopez had ridden with the driver for about 11 hours without incident and there was already a payment agreement in place. With the driver’s consent, officers searched the van and found no firearm.
Questioned again, Lopez maintained he had been kidnapped but conceded there was no gun. According to the reports, he said he mentioned a firearm “to get a faster reaction time out of law enforcement.” Officers determined the driver “had committed no crime and only did not pull over to maintain Juan’s safety,” and arrested Lopez.
Prosecutors filed a formal accusation June 23, 2026, in Bartow Superior Court under case number SUCR2026001098, charging Lopez with one count of false report of a crime under Georgia law.
On June 30, 2026, Lopez pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 12 months as a first offender, to be served on probation rather than in confinement. He received credit for time served from June 5 through sentencing. The court imposed a $500 fine, a $50 application fee and a $250 attorney fee. The sentence may end early once all fines and fees are paid and probation conditions are met.