Too slow: Woman allegedly stole her Uber driver's car to get to the airport faster
A woman who probably thought her Uber driver was too slow allegedly took matters into her own hands and made off to the airport with the car.
Neusha Afkami, 27, was arrested after she allegedly stole the car because she said the driver was driving too slow, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox 7 Austin.
At around 12:28 am on December 10, Afkami was picked up by a driver to catch her flight from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. However, per the driver, Afkami looked “upset” that the drive to the airport would take too long.
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While the pair were driving to the airport, it’s alleged that Afkami took the driver’s phone and tossed it out the window, forcing the driver to stop the vehicle and pick up her phone.
But before she could get back in the car, Afkami took over the driver’s seat and drove off, leaving the driver stranded on a ramp, the affidavit shows.
She allegedly told the driver, “I need to get to the airport, so I’m going to take your car and drop it off at Southwest Airlines.”
Airport officers were notified and found the stolen vehicle abandoned in front of the airport.
But reportedly, Afkami didn’t stop there, and stole the driver’s wallet, running up a US$120 bill at the airport using the driver’s credit card.
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After shopping, Afkami was finally ready to board her flight.
But after all that, she wouldn’t end up making the flight that she’d been in such a rush to catch — police found her before she could board and arrested her. Afkami was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Neusha Afkami (Austin Police Department)
“What this driver experienced is terrifying. This behaviour has no place on our platform, and as soon as this was reported to us, we banned the rider,” Uber told Daily Hive in an email. “We care deeply about our driver community and have been in touch with the driver to offer our support.”
So much for trying to get to the airport early.