Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #459

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Woman Jumps From Moving Car To Escape Fake Uber Driver
LAS VEGAS -- Complaints about fake rideshare drivers victimizing customers are on the rise in big cities across the country.
When a man pos- ing as an Uber driver allegedly abducted a local woman from the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, she made a brave escape from a moving car.
Elizabeth Suarez' traumatic experi- ence began on a mid-July night at Park MGM. She booked an Uber to take her home after a night out with a childhood friend, according to KTNV.
“So I get the notifi- cation from my
phone saying that the Uber is arriving soon so head out to the valet," Elizabeth said.
She saw a car matching the description on the app.
"And he gestures over to me, I open the car door and I say hi, are you here for Liz? and he says, 'yeah, get in.'”
She didn't realize he wasn't her ride until they were on the road and she got a call from the real Uber driver who was looking for her outside Park MGM.
“My heart sank. Because I knew I was in the wrong car. I have no idea
who this guy is, I'm in trouble.”
Frightened and not wanting to spook the man behind the wheel, she tells the real Uber driver all is well and hangs up. Then tries to get her driver to let her out.
“I'm just thinking airport, just a lit area, even a gas station. I don't care. I just said, 'sir, anywhere is fine, you can just drop me off here.' He ignores me and keeps driving.”
She posted this on her Snapchat story, hoping to silently alert friends she was in trouble
“And I thought well if he's gonna kid- nap me, what... You know... Rape? Kill me? Anything! All these thoughts are going in my head. And I froze.”
Afraid of what the driver might do if he heard her on her phone, she did not call the police.
“I’m just trying to stay calm, make my next move.”
We obtained video which shows him pulling into the shopping center on Eastern and Warm Springs.
“I take a side pro- file picture of him, my flash goes off, startles him and that's when he starts cursing: 'give me your wal- let! Give me your phone! Give me everything you have!'”
She threw her wal- let at him but kept her phone. Instead of letting her out, he sped up.
“That's when I open the car door and it's unlocked and I just jump out without thinking.
She suffered a head injury, a frac- tured wrist and badly broken ankle as a result of jumping out of the car.
Our crime and safety expert says Elizabeth's brave act of desperation may have saved her life, but there are two things she should have done differently because every clue counts. He says she defi- nitely should have called 911. Even if they were just lis- tening to a one- sided conversa- tion, they'd likely have been able to figure out there was a crime in progress.
He says she also should have raised
a red flag when the real Uber driv- er called so he could've potentially alerted police. But Elizabeth says police weren't helpful at first, ask- ing questions about her instead of the driver.
“Why was I out so late? Why was I alone? I had to hire my attorney because I was afraid they were going to drop my case.”
Attorney Neal Hyman sent a writ- ten request for fur- ther investigation. “They changed some detectives on the case and are starting to take it more seriously. But in any type of law enforcement investigation, tim- ing is crucial. They also note multiple errors in the police narrative,” Hyman said.
“He never said, 'I am not your Uber, get out, leave your purse,” Elizabeth added.
Darcy: That sen- tence never came out of his mouth?
Elizabeth: Never happened. Never happened.
Her biggest con- cern is that rob- bery is the only crime listed in the
report. There's no mention anywhere of kidnapping.
“Once he did rob me he continued to drive away with me. I only got out because I jumped out!”
The crime remains unsolved while Elizabeth endures a lengthy recovery.
“I say that he broke some bones but he didn't break my spirit. I'm here and I'm here to tell my story and I'm doing it to warn other girls,” Elizabeth added.
Park MGM declined to give us their surveillance video of Elizabeth being picked up. They said no one made a security report for a crime on their property, referring me to metro who has not yet responded to my calls about the case.
Uber urges all rid- ers to follow their safety guidelines. They say before you get in any car, make sure the vehicle and license plate number matches the infor- mation in the app. Verify the driver's name and picture. And always ask the driver "who are you here for?"
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine