“Ride-share driver shoots at carjackers but they still get away with his car,” the Chicago Tribune reports in a story from this weekend in the Windy City. Around 11:15pm, the 23-year-old driver had picked up two passengers from a relatively unassuming neighborhood on the North side of Chicago (pictured above). After getting in, the passengers started beating him and trying to take control of the car. When the driver — who is licensed to carry — pulled his gun, the assailants got out of the car and started running.
Apparently, the driver then made the dual mistakes of chasing after them…and shooting at them. No one was hit.
At which point one of the “passengers” managed to get back behind the wheel of the car and start driving away. The driver desperately grabbed hold of the car and was dragged behind it until he finally let go.
Ouch.
Everyone survived the incident; the driver was taken to the hospital and is now in good health. His car was found shortly afterward with no one inside.
The initial presentation of a lethal weapon was clearly justified in this case. Beyond that, it’s not entirely clear: Illinois has Stand Your Ground in practice, which means that there is no Stand Your Ground law on the books, but there’s also no duty to retreat. That said, this happened in Chicago, which has never been famous for its support of gun rights no matter what the situation.
Does that mean the driver was right to pursue the assailants with his gun? Once the passengers were out, the driver should have gotten away from the area and called the police. All he did by pursuing them was put himself in more potential danger.
We’re glad the victim survived this violent crime without serious physical harm. As for the shots fired at the fleeing attackers, here’s hoping he has a good attorney.
The facts as presented, MMQ says don’t pursue in this case. Just drive away and call the police. But knowing the media, something may have been left out to skew to perception of the incident.
He should’ve left as soon as they beat feet that said he’ll probably be fine on shooting at them last I saw firing a gun at people was only a slap on the wrist in Shitcago.
Citizen’s arrest is a thing that police don’t want Americans to do. They will call you a vigilante and claim they are the only ones with arrest powers.
Generally I’m not for shooting/killing a runner that is not a murder or terrorist.
Issue with a citizens arrest is you assume FULL liability for everything the cops have immunity from. So yes, you can legally detain someone in commission of a crime until the police arrive. But if turns out they aren’t convicted, they can sue you for/charge you with illegal detention or something similar. They can file charges of assault against you if you used force beyond what was needed for personal safety, etc etc etc. Basically you’re opening yourself up to a WHOLE LOT of risk. I’m not saying it’s never “worth it” (absolutes are almost always wrong). But for me there are very very few situations I cant think of where letting the asshole run away isn’t a better option
here’s hoping he has a good attorney
Well, he probably doesn’t have a job any longer, since Uber and Lyft both prohibit firearms, so I doubt he can afford a good attorney.
(smiles) Heh. Yeah, I just sold a pistol to a lady Uber driver the other week…
We had a fun conversation about her not giving a rip what their policy was, she was going to carry anyway and see how long she gets away with it.
🤠
Good for her.
I’d rather lose my job than my life.
So, is it Uber and Lyft we’re talking about? Article says “ride share driver”. I have a friend in FL who has been a “ride share driver” for years. That means she is the driver for a vehicle she does not own, carrying a specific group of passengers to and from the workplace of all of them (herself included). The idea of a “ride share driver” being mugged at midnight by passengers he did not know is so foreign I had to check. This sounds like an individual deciding to start being a taxi without any training or licensing. Or sense.
u & l want their contractors defenseless in chi-congo & elsewhere
Glad he’s relatively OK. I’m sure he’s lost his gig. Interestingly he has a CCL unlike the dead dude on the southside. The natives are still restless despite a clear video he was armed. He “apparently” had a FOID but no CCL. Which makes him doubly dumb(and dead)…
The natives are hoping the looting starts soon.
I wonder what the comparison would be between uber/lyft drivers getting carjacked/robbed/maimed/murdered and regular taxi drivers?
Shooting at fleeing bad guys isn’t ok unless they’re somehow still presenting a threat of death or serious injury to yourself or someone else.
BTW, the Denver Uber driver that killed his passenger in “self-defense” last month is charged with 1st degree murder.
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