Uber drivers are huge assets to anyone who needs to get across town in a hurry and doesn’t have their own vehicle, but apparently they’re also good at curbing crime. One such driver in Aventura, Florida, ruined a would-be robber’s day when he shot and killed the armed man who was attempting to hijack his vehicle, and with a passenger still inside.
According to local news reports, an Uber driver who had recently picked up a passenger and was headed for the airport was cut off and stopped by a silver minivan. After coming to a halt, a man emerged from the van carrying a pair of handguns pointed them at the driver, apparently not knowing that he was also armed.
The driver, who has a perfectly legal permit to carry the weapon, opened fire on the suspect, who was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. Neither the Uber driver nor his passenger were injured in the altercation. A passenger in the van driven by the suspect proceeded to take over the wheel and sped off, though a van matching its description was later taken in by the Aventura PD, and police say they have a “person of interest” also in custody.
The Uber driver is expected to avoid any charges, and judging by the accounts of how things unfolded, it would seem obvious that he acted in self defense.
Uber drivers, and indeed anyone in the profession of giving rides to strangers, have long been at risk of being held up while on the job. However, with Uber and most ride hailing apps, the transactions are taken care of via the app, so drivers wouldn’t typically be carrying a great deal of cash with them. It’s not clear if the suspect was attempting to rob the victims, hijack the car, or both, but his plan clearly didn’t work out as he expected.
