Crime Alert: Criminals targeted a Rideshare driver in Houston
A Uber driver was carjacked at gunpoint on Bellaire Blvd, in West Houston Saturday night, should this concern you as a rideshare driver?
First, a quick breakdown of what happend:
It all started when the Uber driver picked up two riders and was asked to bring them to a destination (not the one listed on the app) to the 14400 block of Bellaire Boulevard.
From there, the suspects brandished a firearm, robbed the driver, and stole his vehicle according to HCSO Sheriff, Ed Gonzalzez.
Police later caught up to the stolen vehicle, close to Voss and Westheimer road. Three suspects led the HPD on a short chase until they crashed the vehicle in the 9800 block of block of Meadowglen. The suspects were 18, 17, and 14 years old.
Should you be concerned as a driver?
Yes, you should be. While these kinds of things really don’t happen often here in Houston, the fact that it happened Saturday night should raise some level of concern. There are quite a few of us that have thousands of rides under our belt, without an incident, but we all run the same amount of risk. Yes, driving for Uber and Lyft is quite safer than driving a cab since we do not carry cash, but we are still basically taxi drivers. It is inherently a dangerous job. In this case, the driver was robbed and car-jacked. Chances are, that is going to be enough of a reason for other criminals to target us.
The most concerning part about this story are the fact that the suspects, were 18, 17, and 14 years old. It is not clear how the 3rd suspect came into play (Remember, this driver picked up 2 riders originally.)Nor is it clear if the 18-year-old requested the ride.
Why does age matter Isn’t it just a number?
It is against Uber and Lyft policy for us to pick up minors without a guardian present. Even if the 18-year-old requested (best case scenario), there is a chance that the insurance company can use the 17, or 14 year old as an excuse to not pay the insurance for the damages caused by the carjackers. If you have ever been in an accident, you know the at-fault party’s insurance will find every excuse not to pay. Going against a policy for a company you are driving for, is a definite easy way out.
“I will never let riders change the destination mid-trip since this might happen to me”
I have been around drivers for too long at this point, and I know this statement will pop up somewhere.
While in hindsight, the riders asking the driver to go to another destination seems like a giant red flag, this is actually quite a normal thing to happen, especially on a Saturday night. People change their destinations all the time. Should we be sticklers and say we can’t change the destination?
The answer is no. If someone is going to carjack you, they won’t give a flying fuck where they do it at. In fact, this may just provoke them.
So, how do I protect myself?
There are quite a few drivers out there that have admitted to carrying (against the policy, but legal in Texas), but this won’t stop someone from robbing and carjacking you, especially when it is 2 or 3 against 1. If you are any kind of proficient in weapon handling, (I hope you are if you think it will protect you), you will know by the time that gun is in your face, it is too late for you to be fumbling around trying to grab yours.
The only way to protect yourself is just to treat everyone with the same level of respect. Don’t get me wrong, if someone is planning to carjack you, they most likely will. The fact that this driver walked away tells me that they were respectful of these criminals as much as they were with anyone else. No injuries were reported. Yes, the car was stolen and they were robbed, but no injuries mean they respected that driver’s life, most likely because this driver respected them back.