Uber Won't Admit Whether Sketchy Robber in Black Town Car Works For Them
A San Francisco man got into what he assumed was the Uber car he had ordered early Saturday morning, but he didn’t exactly get the ride he expected. After exhibiting some seriously suspect behavior, the driver sped past the man’s destination, then chased and robbed him when he tried to get out.
The victim told police he got into a black Town Car at around 1 a.m. after hailing an Uber, and his driver offered to take him someplace he could buy drugs and meet prostitutes, according to KRON 4. The passenger declined—he just wanted to get home to South Beach.
But a block from his home, things got weird again. The driver picked up “a woman in a dress, described as between 25 and 30 years old,” and took off without letting his original passenger out.
At this point, the man bailed from the car and tried to run home, but the driver chased him down, kicking him and taking his phone and debit card. The victim was treated at a hospital for a dislocated knee, and police are tracking debit card purchases in an attempt to find the suspect.
Uber might not be much help. Although the passenger believes the driver worked for Uber, the company won’t confirm it. They’re working with police to figure out if he may have “pirating rides,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“This man called an Uber, it’s not fair to say he got into one,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
Although Uber vets its drivers, the company’s background checks were criticized last year by San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys as not thorough enough. After a handful of incidents involving alleged driver attacks on passengers, Uber promised in December to improve its driver screening.
