Driving for Uber can be, undoubtedly, a frustrating task. It involves dealing with drunk passengers, braving rush hour traffic, and pacifying demanding customers. So it's no surprise that some drivers are less than enthusiastic about the job.
However, some Uber drivers go above and beyond the call of duty. Perhaps they leave little water bottles in the back or offer Jolly Ranchers.
...Or they save their passengers.
Uber driver Keith Avila saved his passenger from child sex trafficking.
The driver made a stop in Sacramento, picking up Destiny Pettway, Maria Westly, and a 16-year-old girl. He was told to bring them to a hotel in Elk Grove, California.
But he knew something wasn't right.
Avila said the sketchy conversation happening in the backseat of his car tipped him off.
"They started like talking, like saying everything that was going on," Avila told Fox40 News. "Like what they're doing, child sex trafficking."
One of the older women was clearly preparing the 16-year-old girl for prostitution.
According to Avila, his passenger said:
You're gonna hug them, you're gonna pat them down, make sure they don't have no weapons. You ask him, "Do you have any weapons?" And then ask for the donations. Say "Do you have my donation?" Get the donation first. And then before you go in and do anything, get the donation first.
Witnessing a child being subjected to this was heartbreaking. "I looked at her in the eyes," he said. "She had this face of innocence."
Avila knew immediately that he needed to get involved.
After dropping off his passengers at the hotel, he contacted local police, who arrived on the scene very quickly.
"They don't play. They do not play. Not when you're doing child sex trafficking," he said.
Pettway and Westly were arrested for a number of charges relating to pimping and pandering. The suspect from the hotel, identified as Disney Vang, was arrested for alleged sex with a minor.
The authorities are thankful Avila got involved in time.
"He could've said nothing. Went on his way, collected his fare," Elk Grove Police Officer Chris Trim told Fox40 News. "And then that 16-year-old victim could've been victimized again by who knows how many different people over the next couple of days, weeks, months."
For, Avila, getting involved was a no-brainer.
"Honestly, I didn't think about it... They said what they said, and it's one of those things that you just do," he explained. "I can't just drive away. I'm mean, of course not. That's not even an option." (h/t fox40 news)
Check out the full report below:
from Distractify http://distractify.com/news/2016/12/29/uber-driver-hero
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