In both cases, a rideshare driver was tased by two male suspects in the back seat of his vehicle, Chicago police said. I lost my car, my husband, money, everything we had, for a ride for six dollars and something cents.. Indiana resident Joe Schelstraete, 38, was working in Cicero, Illinois Monday evening when he picked up four armed men who used the Uber app to hail him, according to Fox 32. ", "Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and we are working with law enforcement to help keep drivers safe. She reported what happened, then the police called an ambulance to take her to the emergency room, where she was treated for cuts, bruises, and an eye injury, which resulted in lasting vision loss. The stolen vehicles are then used to commit more robberies on the street, officials said. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's failure to advance to a runoff election Tuesday represents an astonishing fall from power four years after she was ushered into City Hall with a promise of reform. Maybe it's all good.'". Only 10% maximum of carjackings result in an arrest. The day after the attack, Sheryl said someone from Lyft called and she yelled at them saying she needed help. Campbell Matthews, a DoorDash spokesperson, told The Markup in an email, We regularly send communications on safety tips and best practices to workers and the company plans to add an emergency assistance button to its app later this year.. More gig workers told him theyve started to carry weapons. Click on the criminal defense case victory links below to learn how we won each case. ABC7 Eyewitness News has talked to other rideshare drivers who said they were carjacked by their own passengers. We are working with law enforcement on their investigation.". With this rental car if anything happens, the $1,000 is taken care of, Morrow said. Lyft didnt respond to requests for comment on Tommys carjacking and the companys lack of assistance after the attack. Illinois Gov. He filed a police report and believes the shooters were trying to carjack him. Javier Ramos' family said the Uber driver was killed while fighting back when a passenger tried to carjack him early Tuesday morning in North Lawndale. Morrows Honda was recovered but had about $10,000 in damage, and he had to pay the $1,000 insurance deductible. When those untraceable payment methods are linked to accounts with fake names and email addresses, it makes it easy for passengers to be completely anonymous. They paid by credit card at the restaurant, though the credit card was in a man's name that is different than the name signed on the bill. It's not clear if the carjackers ordered the . Partly cloudy skies. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. "It's very saddening to see when someone is just out there, trying to do a job, helping people transport from one place to another.". Thanks for contacting us. The company also didnt offer her any financial assistance for hospital fees, eye doctor visits, or other costs that resulted from being paired with NBA on the app. One of the teenage girls charged in the killing of a 66-year-old Uber Eats driver has pleaded guilty to felony murder for her role in the fatal carjacking in Washington, D.C. in March. The pair stole his cellphone and backpack containing his iPad. "And that's when his girlfriend went ballistic.". After getting hit repeatedly, Norman was finally able to lift the armrest and get her gun. After being attacked at the shuttered sports arena in Cleveland, Norman said she headed straight to the police station. In February, the ABC7 I-Team uncovered a surge in rideshare carjackings and talked to drivers who were concerned over so called "phantom profiles." During police investigations, both Uber and Lyft require authorities to submit subpoenas, court orders, search warrants, or emergency disclosure requests for any information on alleged assailants. In June, Lyft followed Ubers lead and also stopped allowing new passenger accounts to use untraceable payment methods without additional identification. Three of the carjackings happened within a few miles of each other on the West and Near Northwest sides there was a third in the 2600 block of North Mozart Street in Logan Square. A police officer views a crashed car in the 8800 block of South Vincennes Avenue in Chicago on March 9, 2021. Next, the Lyft app showed their destination as a short, four-minute ride awaythe second red flag. Here are our tips for looking intoit, An investigation by The Markup found racial disparities in L.A.s intake system for unhousedpeople. No one has been charged in his case. To him, a mandatory selfie feature for passengers would be a good start. It was thanks to you. For comparison, other metro areas with a high number of gig worker carjackings that weve been able to confirm are Atlanta with nine and Cleveland with 12. The crime took place around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 3700-block of Douglas Avenue. Edmond Harris, 18, is charged with shooting Anthony Jones on Jan. 20 during an attempted carjacking. "I went to the location where he was at, gave him some water, and like, tried to console him; be supportive.". Its like the Old Westits wild.. The night began with him agreeing to sub in for his exhausted wife, who also drove for Lyft and was trying to get in a few more rides by a 5 a.m. deadline to earn a Lyft bonus. See our documents. On the same evening that the Lyft driver was carjacked, two men hijacked an Uber driver while he waited for a passenger to arrive on the 400 block of West Roslyn in Lincoln Park. She was left battered and bruised, and her 2015 silver Chevy was stolen. Working for an Algorithm and An Uber driver died two days after being shot in the head during a carjacking outside of Chicago. Some police departments, like Chicago and Oakland, have issued warnings about carjackings of ride-hail drivers. CHICAGO A man has been charged in federal court with carjacking and murdering a rideshare driver in Chicago earlier this year. "And he looked at me and turned around and got confrontational and I looked at him like, I am not taking this. Low 46F. Uber said in a statement, "The details reported by Mr. Roth are terrifying, and as soon as he reported the incident, we deactivated the rider. A probable cause statement obtained by The Markup said a Lyft light was affixed to the front dash and a bullet casing was next to Newmans body. I have had it two months.". "A few of them, they were actually sleeping. According to Chicago police, in 2018 there was one incident and in 2019 one incident, but then it jumped to 16 in 2020. Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Being Carjacked at Alarming Rates, From the series You wouldnt believe how many fake names we see almost everyday, the petition reads. Last September, Tommy Cross was driving for Lyft when he was attacked by three passengers in Oklahoma City. "You're not really sure if this ride was ordered by someone for someone else to take the ride, or if someone is just using a fake account," said Suzette Wright, rideshare driver. The ABC7 I-Team update looks into what's being done to address the concerns over an increase of carjackings of rideshare drivers. "I don't think a few hundred or a few thousand dollars is worth anyone's life - and at least mine or my father's life for sure," he said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Elijah, being the person he was, he was not going to give up his car.. "Yesterday when I drove over there, and every time I was at a stop light, I was looking in my rearview mirror, getting nervous, this guy is pulling up, is it going to happen again? "Nothing happened to me physically, right.". Two people were apprehended and pleaded guilty last month to charges of armed robbery and the shooting of Tommy. SEE ALSO | New video shows rideshare driver carjacked in West Town. Lyft driver Elijah Newman had just moved to St. Louis when he was attacked in an attempted carjacking in April. the criminal took off w the car with 3 kids inside. In nearby Columbus, a 73-year-old Lyft driver was attacked in the same way on April11. There have been 352 carjackings in Chicago this year, according to the police, and some of these robbers are repeat offenders. Their top concern is rider profiles with suspicious names and no pictures. Uber said it was saddened to hear about the senseless act of violence that took the life of Mr. Schelstraete. They shouldnt be able to put Pleasure P, they should put their government name, plain and simple, Norman said. At the same time, the man in the back seat grabbed her by the neck and started choking her, yelling, Get your ass out of the car, according to the police report. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He had one child in New Jersey and four in Ghana, whom he was working on bringing to the U.S. When he moved here, he was just making a new beginning, said Elizabeth Hylton,his roommate and long-time friend, who created a GoFundMe for Newmans children. When Uber Eats delivery driver Mohammad Anwar was killed last week in a deadly carjacking attempt by two teenage girls, a family lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather as well as their. Shed worked for Lyft for almost two and a half years, gave 1,636 rides, and had the highest driver rating possiblefive stars. He was not injured, but he feels like had he not done what the carjackers wanted, he would not be here to tell his story. Uber and Lyft both say they're working with police to keep drivers safe, pointing out that both platforms have technologies which can track rides and allow for drivers and riders to request real time emergency help. Is this where you wanna go? The drivers insurance company said that because he was driving for Lyft, his insurance doesnt cover anythingnot his vehicle, cellphone, other items he had in his car, like expensive high-speed phone chargers, or loss of wages. 64% of carjacking victims are men. Our thoughts are with his family and we are working with law enforcement on their investigation, in a statement to Fox News. Security footage obtained by the local station shows the four suspects, wearing hoods over their heads, approach his four-door Ford car. No one has been charged in his carjacking. Javier Ramos' family said the Uber driver was killed while fighting back when a passenger tried to carjack him early Tuesday morning in North Lawndale. The Pakistani immigrant, who lived in nearby Virginia, suffered a head injury and later died, police said. President Joe Biden has ordered the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day in an effort to control energy prices. what a show we have. If it wasnt for this carjacking crisis I would definitely be out on the road, Sanchez said. The victim was sitting inside his black 2020 Range. He was attacked by two passengers, one of whom put a gun to his head before the ride started and demanded he leave the car. For drivers its a different story. By Friday, police had found and charged the male offender. "I have no income now because I don't have a car," Sanchez said. Carjackings are skyrocketing in Chicago this year, with more than 750 incidents recorded through early July, and as WGN-TV reported earlier this summer, an increasing number of perpetrators are. Local news articles tell bait-and-switch stories of passengers asking drivers to put something in the trunk only to have the riders take off with the car. We were waiting for a response late Tuesday afternoon. Kennedy FOX Business March 1, 2023 7:00pm-8:00pm EST. Police departments nationwide have reported an overall surge in carjackings during the pandemic, and these incidents appear to be happening to ride-hail drivers at an especially high rate. "I don't know what happened, when I turn back I see all my glass and everything broke because of the bullets," he said. I mean, like, really fast," he said. He cant even tie his shoes, Sheryl said, verging on tears. "I got carjacked from a passenger who stole somebody's phone and requested a ride," Angel Haralson said. 1 hospitalized after fire in West Town, CFD says, Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, Belvidere Jeep assembly plant shut down indefinitely. The Uber driver's son said once his father picked the men up in his black Toyota Highlander, he was attacked with a stun gun a block into the ride. The Markup confirmed 124 carjackings and attempted carjackings of ride-hail drivers across the country. While the company still allows for alias names, Uber spokesperson Page said it no longer lets riders set up new accounts or change their names using numbers, emojis, or symbols. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are looking for a suspect after an Uber driver was shot and killed on the city's West Side. The pair, ages 13 and 15, have been charged with felony murder, carjacking and armed robbery in the deadly incident, which they allegedly carried out near Nationals Park in the Southeast section. Dash cams would additionally be a good deterrent, advocates say. He said the photos dont have to be shared with drivers, but rather the companies could temporarily keep them in their databases in case anything happens during a ride. Rideshare drivers are calling for changes to popular platforms in response to a dramatic increase in carjackings in Chicago and the surrounding area. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. Obviously, he's never been Tased before," the driver's son said. Those usually involve people taking advantage of ride-hail drivers who are waiting for a ride or just finishing dropping off passengers. "I'm just really thankful he was able to get out of it without any injuries.". 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