ATLANTA — Police have a teenage girl in custody after an Uber driver was pulled from his vehicle and pistol-whipped in Buckhead early Friday.
The 15-year-old girl and another man jumped into the Uber driver’s car and were chased by police down I-75, Atlanta police spokesman Officer Jarius Daugherty told AJC.com. She was caught when they crashed near New Northside Drive and I-285, but the man ran off, he said.
Officers were called about 2:27 a.m. after the victim’s car was stolen. He told police he was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Maple Drive and East Paces Ferry Road when two people approached carrying handguns.
A man came to the driver’s window, while the teenage girl positioned herself at the front passenger window, Daugherty said.
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“Both suspects pointed handguns towards the victim, so he opened the door to exit the vehicle,” he said. “The male suspect then pulled the victim from the vehicle and struck him across the face with the weapon. At that time, both suspects entered the vehicle and fled the location.”
The victim was treated on scene for a small laceration over his left eye.
Officers later spotted the car headed north on I-75 near Northside Drive and tried to pull it over. The car didn’t stop, Daugherty said, leading officers on a brief chase.
The car crashed near a Waffle House at New Northside Driver and I-285.
"All the cops were, like, guns drawn, 'Where the F are they?' That is all you hear the cops saying, ''Where are they?'" an employee told Channel 2's Lauren Pozen.
Police arrested the teen, but the man got away.
"The guy we saw cut through our back parking lot, through the hotel, through Starbucks and hopped the fence. He was limping. I think he was injured," the employee said.
The man is still at large, according to police. The teen faces carjacking charges.
An investigation is ongoing.
Uber sent Pozen a statement Friday afternoon, saying: "What this driver experienced is frightening and we’ve reached out to check on his well-being. We will work with police to help with their investigation.”
[ Chelsea Prince with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this article. ]