Uber driver shot at; three charged
Published 11:11 am Tuesday, November 26, 2024
VALDOSTA — Three Valdosta residents were arrested Friday after somebody shot at an Uber driver.
Around 2 a.m., an Uber driver called E911 saying someone had shot at his car, a Valdosta Police Department statement said. He said he had picked up two men and a woman at a home and was taking them to another residence when they began to argue with him and became disruptive, the statement said.
He pulled over and told the three to get out; one of them threatened him and, as he drove off, he heard gunshots and his windshield shattered, police said.
Officers found three suspects — a 22-year-old man, a 25-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman — walking near the scene of the shooting and saw a gun magazine sticking out of a suspect’s pants pocket. All three were detained without incident and a firearm was found nearby, the statement said. The driver identified the three suspects as the passengers he put out of the car.
The three suspects were charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony tampering with evidence, felony possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and misdemeanor reckless conduct, the police statement said.
“These offenders were upset about being told to get out of a vehicle when they were being disruptive, which does not give anyone the right to shoot at someone. We are thankful that no one was physically injured during this reckless act. Our officers did a great job locating them so quickly and recovering the gun that they had just thrown down that anyone could have picked up,” said Police Chief Leslie Manahan.
Anyone with information about this case should contact the Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the crime tip line at 229-293-3091, or file a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.