|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… |
A woman jumped out of a car in Kent when she reportedly realized she had been picked up by a man who was impersonating an Uber driver.
A 25-year-old woman reported to Seattle Police that on Oct. 10 she had been out at a bar in the 400 block of First Avenue South in Pioneer Square in Seattle. When she was ready to leave, she ordered an Uber, according to the Seattle Police Blotter website.
When the vehicle arrived, the woman opened the door and asked if the vehicle was for her. The driver told her that it was, but the woman didn’t verify the license plate or driver’s name, according to police.
As the woman sat in the backseat, she saw the driver pass her exit and then got a notification that her Uber ride had been cancelled. The woman looked around the vehicle, and noticed that the driver was following directions from Google Maps and wasn’t using the Uber app, according to police.
As fear and worry began to take over, she frantically started texting her friends about what was going on. The woman believed the driver exited at exit 156 (Tukwila), then went through three intersections, according to police. While sitting at a red light, the woman jumped out of the car and ran away as the vehicle sped off.
A short time later, her friends found her near Military Road South and Kent Des Moines Road in Kent.
The woman described the vehicle as a white 4-door sedan and the driver as a Black male, between the ages of 30 and 50.
Police contacted the Real Time Crime Center for possible footage of the incident, since the woman did not have the suspect vehicle’s license plate. However, the Seattle Police cameras in the area were not functional and did not capture footage of the incident, according to Seattle Police.
Police are asking the public for assistance in identifying the suspect and vehicle in the incident. Tips or information can be submitted to the Seattle Police Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
According to Washington state law, RCW 9A.60.040, a person is guilty of first-degree criminal impersonation if the person:
(a) Assumes a false identity and does an act in his or her assumed character with intent to defraud another or for any other unlawful purpose; or
(b) Pretends to be a representative of some person or organization or a public servant and does an act in his or her pretended capacity with intent to defraud another or for any other unlawful purpose.
Criminal impersonation in the first degree is a class C felony.
Rideshare safety tips
Seattle Police offer the following rideshare safety tips:
1. Wait for your ride in a safe, well-lit location and try to ride with a friend.
2. Always verify the driver’s name and license plate.
3. Have the driver confirm who they are picking up.
4. Sit in the backseat and check the locks.
5. Share your ride details with friends.
6. Know where you’re going and look out the windows.
7. Trust your instincts.
8. Call or text 911 if you feel in danger.
