PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Pasco County Deputies have arrested Brian Medina, 31 of New Port Richey after he abducted an Uber Eats driver.
The sheriff’s office says the victim pulled up to a Denny’s on US 19 and as she was putting food into her car, Medina jumped in.
The victim says he was talking, but not making much sense and she asked him to get out of her car.
“I explained to him, yes, I am an Uber driver but I only do food deliveries, I don’t give passenger rides,” said the driver who asked not to be identified.
That’s when things became very frightening for her.
“He told me he had a gun and that I was going to get into the car and do what he said,” said the victim.
She says she then tried to calm the man down and convinced him she had to deliver the food. When she arrived at the customer’s home, she tried to signal to that person she was in danger, but the customer didn’t pick up on her hints.
The man in the car then ordered her to drive to a motel on US 19 and ordered her into a bathroom. Somehow she was able to get the attention of another man at the motel and he helped her escape.
“Kind of distracted him, put his phone number into my phone and said while he’s doing this, here are your keys, go, get in your car and go and that’s when I was finally able to get away and leave,” said the victim.
She ran and was able to soon call the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.
When Deputies arrived they were able to arrest Medina without incident.
The victim says she is terrified to think what may have happened if she had not been able to get away.
Uber has released a statement about the incident.
“What’s been reported is deeply disturbing and we will work with law enforcement to assist with their investigation,” an Uber spokesperson said.
