Man accused of kidnapping Uber driver at gunpoint, remains on the run

ATLANTA — Atlanta police are searching for a man accused of kidnapping an Uber driver at gunpoint Friday morning.

Police told Channel 2 Action News that the victim is OK and the suspect remains at large after he crashed the car during a pursuit.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes talked to APD spokesman, who said officers responded to a possible kidnapping at 2 a.m. in northeast Atlanta.

Police said a woman told 911 dispatch that she was dropping off an Uber fare when a man approached her and asked for a ride.

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The woman told police the man pointed at a gun at her and took over the driver’s seat.

She told police that she climbed into a passenger seat and was able to whisper to dispatch information about where he was driving.

“She was giving out her location – whispering through what I think was an Airpod that she had in her ear,” police said. “She was giving out the location of where she was. We were able to catch up to the vehicle.”

One dispatcher said she heard the suspect tell the Uber driver to be quiet or he would shoot her in the head.

Dispatchers were able to direct police to the stolen car.

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Police said they were able to catch up to the car and a chase ensued. The suspect crashed the car at the intersection of Edgewood and Boulevard avenues.

He ran from the scene and has not been caught. K9 units are helping with the search in the area.

The Uber driver was not injured.

Fernandes talked to the owner of Church bar on the corner of Edgewood and Boulevard. Bart Bell wasn’t at work at 2 a.m. when the chase ended, but he heard about it. Bell said fire hydrants on the sidewalk probably saved his building from damage.

“I mean, it’s nuts,” Bell said. “I got a message from the owner this morning with some pictures and we were certainly thankful that the hydrant was there, you know, so the building wasn’t hit. That’s really frightening.”

Bell said he hopes the kidnapper is caught.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crimestoppers.

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