ATLANTA — Police in Atlanta are searching for a man after he allegedly pulled a gun on an Uber driver and forced her into the backseat of the car, telling her he was going to rob people.
The woman was said to have been able to call 911 using her earbuds in the backseat, initiating a police chase. The driver crashed at the intersection of Edgewood and Boulevard, before running off on foot.
Police said it began when the Uber driver dropped off a separate rider at Martin Luther King Boulevard in southeast Atlanta. They say that's when the man approached her and asked her for a ride to a train station. She let him in, and once he got in pulled the gun and hijacked the car.
According to an APD release, the woman was able to make the call as the car traveled east on I-20 near Hamilton E. Holmes. They said she dialed 911 and left the line open, allowing police to track her coordinates.
Officers located the car and attempted a stop, but it got away before being spotted again in Edgewood. The suspect crashed the vehicle into a fire hydrant before exiting the car and running.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m., and the suspect remains at large early Friday morning. APD said they utilized "multiple units including K-9" in the immediate search but were unsuccessful in finding him.
Police did not immediately have a description of the suspect. The woman was uninjured, according to APD. A shot-gun was found inside of the vehicle.