Florida police said that detectives are looking for a guy who pointed a gun at a DoorDash driver while she was making a delivery and then sexually assaulted her.
Police say that the driver was on the phone with her lover when she was attacked. Her girlfriend and other family members jumped into action to save her.
A DoorDash driver in her early 20s was making a delivery to a Residence Inn in Tampa on April 18 at around 11 p.m., when a man with a gun came up to her and forced her back into her car, according to a news statement from the Tampa Police Department.
The report says that the woman was talking to her girlfriend through her AirPods at the time.
The report says that the girlfriend “quickly realized that a robbery was going on.” The family of the driver then called the cops, who went to the hotel.
Police say that the man forced the driver into her car and drove her about 7 miles from the hotel to an apartment complex where he “sexually abused” her.
In the meantime, the driver’s phone was tracked to an apartment building by the woman’s girlfriend and family members of both women. Police say that her family members pulled her out of the car as the suspect shot at them several times.
Police say that a family member of the girlfriend of the driver was hit. Both she and the driver were taken to the hospital with injuries that weren’t thought to be life-threatening.
The Person Who Did It Ran Away
In a statement to McClatchy News, Julian Crowley, a spokesman for DoorDash, said that the company was “appalled” by this “heinous and abhorrent crime.”
The message says, “No one should ever have to go through something as terrible as this, and we’re here to help Dasher in any way we can.” “We’ve contacted the Tampa Police Department to help them with their investigation, and we hope that the person who did this is caught and punished.”
The company also talked about some of its safety features, like a button in the app that cars can press to have a security officer call 911. Also, if delivery takes longer than expected, the company checks in with the driver and calls 911 if the driver says they are dangerous or doesn’t answer.
The tweet below verifies the news:
DoorDash driver assaulted during delivery, Florida cops say. Then her family saves her https://t.co/gPDMrBc1rd
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) April 21, 2023
On April 20, police put out a sketch of the guy and asked the public to help them find him.
During a news conference that was taped by Fox 13, Sgt. Andrea Hughes of the Tampa Police Department said that the attack was a “crime of opportunity.”
“He has not only hurt this person physically, but he has also hurt her mind,” she said.
In a statement, Tampa’s Interim Police Chief Lee Bercaw said that the suspect has “no regard for human life.”
The statement says, “I am asking anyone who may have seen or heard something nearby to please call us with any information, no matter how small it may seem.” “It could be the clue we need to catch this bad guy before he hurts someone else in our community.”
The report says that people who have information can call the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.
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