Uber driver assaulted, carjacked, suspect arrested

A 74-year-old Uber driver was assaulted and then carjacked in downtown Birmingham on Thursday, March 30, and Birmingham police, along with Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills police, were able to locate the fleeing suspect and arrest him near Square Lake and Lahser roads.

Birmingham police received a call from the 74-year-old male driver from Troy at approximately 11:35 p.m. that he was parked on N. Old Woodward, north of Hamilton, when a black male, approximately five-feet, six-inches tall and medium build, opened the driver's door and began assaulting him. The suspect then pulled the driver from the vehicle, entered the driver's seat and drove away, northbound on N. Old Woodward.

The victim reported he had no injuries as a result of the assault.

When officers make contact with the driver, they learned he had a second phone in the stolen vehicle, and they utilized the “find my phone” app to track the stolen vehicle. Police broadcast the information to local departments, and as the vehicle was northbound on Lahser, approaching Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Township police located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect attempted to flee the scene and lost control, striking a guardrail.

Birmingham officers arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody without incident with the assistance of Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills police.