'He's In A State Of Shock,' Says Son Of Uber Driver Who Was Carjacked And Attacked With Stun Gun
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two rideshare drivers were recovering Tuesday after being attacked with stun guns by their passengers.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, the son of one of the drivers said this was not the first time his father was attacked while working.
The Uber driver, understandably, was very shaken up Tuesday and could not do an interview with us. His son spoke to us, under the condition we conceal his identity for the interview.
Le Mignot: "How is your father?"
Driver's Son: "Right now, he's OK. He's in a state of shock, definitely. He's upset."
The man's 56-year-old father was carjacked while driving for Uber in the 2900 block of North Sawyer Avenue in Logan Square, just before 10 p.m. Monday.
"He's just upset that this happened to him because he was just trying to make an honest living and work hard," the driver's son said.
He had picked up two men from a nearby restaurant. A person who works there said the men ordered food for takeout, sat at a table, and said they were waiting for an Uber.
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.
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 driver was stunned in his torso.
"They ended up Tasing him and telling him, instructing him to like get out of the car - which he did," the driver's son said, "and again, he is OK, but again, mentally, like he is in a state of shock."
The driver's son said he is glad his father was not injured.
"He told me he felt shocked when they Tased him. Obviously, he's never been Tased before," the driver's son said. "I'm just really thankful he was able to get out of it without any injuries."
The driver's son met his father at the scene to pick him up after he was attacked.
"I went to the location where he was at, gave him some water, and like, tried to console him; be supportive."
Meanwhile, the two assailants drove south on Sawyer Avenue. This carjacking happened about an hour and 20 minutes before another carjacking where a stun gun was also used on a rideshare driver in the 3500 block of West Ohio Street in Humboldt Park.
"This sort of aggressive behavior - there definitely needs to be something that needs to be done," the driver's son said.
LINK: Tracking Chicago's Carjackings
Chicago Police said there were a total of four carjackings that took place in about three and a half hours in three different police districts Tuesday night. 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 fourth incident – actually the earliest to occur around 8 p.m. – happened in the 9700 block of South Princeton Avenue in the South Side's Roseland community. The victim of that incident was also a rideshare driver, and the assailant was armed with a handgun, police said.
The son of the victim of the Sawyer Avenue carjacking said he also works for Uber. He said his father is a top-rated Uber driver who works 12-hour shifts.
"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.
This is the second time his father has been carjacked in 10 months.
"He was doing food delivery - Uber Eats - again, for Uber. He had just delivered, was walking to his car, and two males appeared," the driver's son said. "They pointed a gun at him and told him he has to leave everything behind - his wallet, his other belongings. They took the car and took off."
The driver's son belongs to several rideshare groups, and said he always fears what the next message will say from his fellow rideshare drivers.
"Two or three days ago, someone had sent me a picture in the group - a guy's face was busted open," he said. "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."
The son said safety measures like passenger photo sharing before pickup, and video camera surveillance in all Ubers, should be mandatory.
We asked Uber about that. We were waiting for a response late Tuesday afternoon.
