CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced 18-year-old Josue Lubala of Cheektowaga was arraigned Wednesday in Erie County Court on an indictment charging him with the following:
- One count of first-degree robbery.
- Two counts of second-degree kidnapping.
- One count of second-degree attempted kidnapping.
- One count of second-degree attempted robbery.
The district attorney's office said on September 13, 2022, Lubala allegedly approached a woman with a knife, opened her car door, ordered her to the passenger seat, and drove away with the woman and a child in the car. According to police, Lubala allegedly allowed the woman and child to exit the car and drove off.
It is further alleged that on September 14, 2022, Lubala approached another woman with a knife, entered the running car she was sitting in, and ordered her to stay in the car. She allegedly pulled the keys from the ignition and ran out. Lubala allegedly exited the car and ran southbound until he was apprehended and taken into custody on Walden Avenue.
Lubala is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on December 8, 2022. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
