Imagine being a passenger in an Uber, when someone rear ends your driver’s car. As a passenger, as long as you’re not in a hurry, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal; accidents happen every day. But what if, instead of pulling off the road, the car that hit you runs off and your driver begins to chase them at high speeds, with you still in his car?
That’s what happened to a couple in Virginia not long ago and, what’s more, they live-streamed it on Facebook Live.
John Murray and his wife Tameka Swann live in Richmond. They were going out to dinner and got an Uber to pick them up from in front of their home.
The driver picked them up on time. It was a rainy night and a couple of blocks after their ride started, they were rear-ended by another car.
Murray said their driver attempted to pull over so they could exchange information, but the other car, instead of doing the same, went around them and sped off.
With the couple still in the back seat of the car, their driver began chasing after him.
Murray turned his phone on to record the event and began broadcasting it on Facebook Live.
A minute or two after the chase began, the driver called 911 and handed the phone to Swann. She explains to the dispatcher what happened, and the dispatcher tells Swann to pull over, which she then tells the driver.
Speeding up, the driver ignores her.
Even more upset now, both Swann and Murray tell the driver that he needs to stop and let them out.
‘I can’t let this guy go,’ the driver replies. ‘He tried to hit me!’
Swann explains to the 911 dispatcher that the driver won’t stop to let them out, because he wants to catch the guy who hit his car.
The driver keeps going, with Murray and Swann in the back seat. They’re trying to read street signs to tell the dispatcher where they are. During the high-speed ride, they’re passing through red lights and even narrowly missed a bicyclist.
They even got hit by another car and the driver kept going.
“I’ve got four kids! I can’t be riding like this! You’ve got to let us out!,” Swann desperately told the driver.
The driver’s reply: “I can’t let this guy go!”
After several more minutes of dangerous driving (and the 911 dispatcher still telling them they needed to stop pull over – I don’t think she realized they were passengers in an Uber), the couple convinced the driver that they got the car’s license plate number so the driver that hit him could be found. With that, he finally stopped the car and let them out.
Swann said it was the scariest moment of her life.
In a statement, Uber said “This driver’s behavior is deeply concerning and his access to the app has been removed. We have been in contact with the rider and stand ready to support law enforcement on their investigation.”
Richmond Police charged the driver with two counts of abduction, reckless driving, and felony hit and run.
The entire video that Murray took is on YouTube. You can watch it here. Heads up that the video has adult language and words that some might find extremely inappropriate and offensive.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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