Uber Driver Carjacked And Passengers Robbed Early Tuesday

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 2, 2016 3:13PM

An Uber driver was carjacked and his passengers were robbed early on Tuesday in Douglas, according to police.

Two suspects, driving a white, four-door sedan, pulled in front of the Uber driver’s car as he picked up a pair of passengers at about 2:10 a.m. in the 3100 block of S. Lake Shore Dr., near East 31st Street, police told Chicagoist. The two armed offenders then approached the vehicle: one forced the driver, a 63-year-old man, from the car; the other robbed the two passengers and told them to get out of the vehicle. The offenders then fled, leaving with both vehicles, police said.

The driver, identified by the Tribune as Roy E. Smith, told the paper he has been a driver for Uber since October.

One of the passengers, a 30-year-old male, suffered a slight laceration to his head, according to police. He was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center where he was treated and released.

Chicagoist has reached out to Uber for comment and will update this post accordingly.

Update, 3:00 p.m.:
“We have been in contact with the driver. He’s doing ok, and we’re still gathering information,” Uber spokeswoman Kayla Whaling told Chicagoist. The incident occurred while “on trip,” Whaling confirmed, which would make the driver’s vehicle eligible for Uber’s coverage if he has collision insurance. “It’s my understanding that ‘damage to your vehicle’ would include theft.”