A New Yorker says he was kidnapped by an Uber driver in Washington DC and taken on a high-speed chase.
The D.C. Taxicab Commission has confirmed an incident did occur and they are investigating. Official details aren’t yet available, but according to frequent Uber user Ryan Simonetti it was one hell of a wild ride.
Was just kidnapped by an @uber driver in DC, held against my will, and involved in a high speed chase across state lines with police #Crazy
— Ryan W Simonetti (@rwsimonetti) July 8, 2014
According to Simonetti, he and two colleagues called an Uber ride around 1:15. When the car arrived and they made their way to it, he noticed that a DC taxi inspector was talking to the Uber driver. They got in anyway.
Before they knew it, the Uber driver had taken off and the taxi inspector was following close behind, lights on.
According to Simonetti, the driver then began to speed and run red lights. He sideswiped cars. The driver apparently claimed that the taxi inspector “wasn’t a real cop” and that if he stopped, he’d be leveled with a $2,000 fine.
The ride lasted around 10 minutes, until the taxi inspector was somehow able to block the Uber driver’s path on an off-ramp. This gave Simonetti time to jump out of the car before the driver turned around and drove the wrong way down the ramp.
“It was like an episode of ‘Cops,’” Simonetti said.
Uber was quick to respond to Simonetti’s tweet for help, so there’s that.
@rwsimonetti Hey, Ryan. We're here to help. Can you DM us your phone number and let us know you're ok? A manager will call you right away.
— Uber DC (@Uber_DC) July 8, 2014
The ride-sharing company has also issued a statement:
Uber became aware of a potential incident involving an UberBLACK trip in Washington, DC [Tuesday] afternoon. Rider safety is our #1 priority. We will cooperate with authorities in their investigation and have deactivated the driver pending the outcome.
This isn’t the first case of driver impropriety that’s put Uber on the defensive. In June, an Uber driver reportedly kidnapped a drunk woman and took her to a motel, where he slept with her in the room and “fondled her over her clothes and suggested he wanted to have sex, but didn’t force it.” Another Uber driver was accused of rape in Washington DC, but that case has since been dropped. In February, a woman claimed she was briefly kidnapped by an Uber driver over fare.
And then there’s the wrongful death lawsuit that Uber currently finds itself embroiled in.
All of these incidents, as they pile up, are leading people to ask just who the hell is driving me around when I use Uber or Lyft, or a similar on-demand car service?
Everything turned out ok for Simonetti and crew, as law enforcement is now on the case.
Thanks everyone for the concern. We're safe. @uber and law enforcement are dealing with it now.
— Ryan W Simonetti (@rwsimonetti) July 8, 2014
Image via Uber, Facebook