We've all experienced bad taxis; whether they were smelly or you ended up getting lost. But a group in Washington DC got the worst ride ever on July 8 when the Uber driver they contracted took them on a roughly 10-minute, high-speed chase to evade police.
However, the situation went bad quickly when the taxi driver noticed that the police officer was following them. He began speeding up, drove through a red light and got on the Interstate. Simonetti, who was in the front seat, said he was trying to move the guy's foot off the accelerator while the car weaved through traffic. Finally, the driver pulled onto an exit ramp, let the men out and then sped the wrong way up the ramp to resume his escape. The police officer remained with the startled businessmen.
While an absolutely amazing story, a DC Taxicab Commission spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post that the chase happened, and the case was still being investigated. According to Uber, the driver's account has been "deactivated." Simonetti, meanwhile, told the paper that he still supports the company but questions its screening process.
Was just kidnapped by an @uber driver in DC, held against my will, and involved in a high speed chase across state lines with police #Crazy
- Ryan W Simonetti (@rwsimonetti) July 8, 2014
Ryan Simonetti (his tweet above) and two colleagues were attending business meetings in DC when they decided to use Uber for a ride to their next appointment, but things were weird as soon as they approached the car. Simonetti told The Washington Post that the driver was speaking to a taxi inspector when they arrived. When the businessmen got in, the officer walked back to his car, and the taxi drove away.
However, the situation went bad quickly when the taxi driver noticed that the police officer was following them. He began speeding up, drove through a red light and got on the Interstate. Simonetti, who was in the front seat, said he was trying to move the guy's foot off the accelerator while the car weaved through traffic. Finally, the driver pulled onto an exit ramp, let the men out and then sped the wrong way up the ramp to resume his escape. The police officer remained with the startled businessmen.
While an absolutely amazing story, a DC Taxicab Commission spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post that the chase happened, and the case was still being investigated. According to Uber, the driver's account has been "deactivated." Simonetti, meanwhile, told the paper that he still supports the company but questions its screening process.
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