LA GRANGE, IL – A La Grange man who thought his Uber driver was taking him in the wrong direction battered the driver, police said.
Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.
Late the night of Aug. 31, the 24-year-old man, who lives in the 10 block of East Avenue, got into the Uber at the North Coast Festival in Bridgeview, police said. The man was with a 25-year-old friend.
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The 24-year-old later told officers he believed he got into the wrong Uber because the listed address on the 55-year-old driver’s phone was incorrect. He said the Uber was going in the general direction of his house, so he did not say anything at first.
As he got closer, he started giving directions.
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The Spanish-speaking driver told officers she felt uncomfortable following directions that differed from her app’s. So she stopped.
The man and his friend got out. The woman said the suspect returned shortly after to enter the car through the rear passenger door, police said. She said she “fled” from the man “within her vehicle,” the report said.
During this incident, he is accused of striking the driver in some way, although the report did not say exactly how.
The man said he went back into the car because his wallet was in there. Police later spotted the wallet while interviewing the driver. The wallet contained the man’s address, which led officers to him.
During his interview, the man admitted he had drinks at the festival, but declined to say whether he had drugs there, the report said. He denied striking the driver.
The man was charged with battery.
Later in the night, the man’s friend visited the police station to give his side of the story. He said the driver was on East Avenue but turned around for no reason, police said. He said he and the suspect then asked to get out of the car.
“He did nothing, dude,” the friend was quoted as telling an officer.
The friend, who appeared drunk, clapped and stomped around the station’s lobby, police said. He was described as argumentative and at times “nonsensical.”
The friend demanded police arrest the driver for kidnapping, the report said.
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