Denver Uber Driver Demanding Answers After Being Stabbed During Pickup
DENVER (CBS4) - A month after an Uber driver was stabbed while picking up riders, he says police are still waiting for the rideshare company to reveal who requested the ride. The damage to Disney Gonzalez's car is the least of his problems now.
It was Oct. 18 when he was picking up a late Uber ride request at Broadway and Evans Avenue.
Five or six teens appeared, and he told them that was too many.
"They hit my car. I opened the door... 'Hey what are you doing?'" Gonzalez recalled to CBS4.
The teens then struck him and stabbed him four times. The wounds were visible beneath his shirt. One of his lungs partially collapsed.
"I got stabbed over here. The knife they used, police say it was longer than an inch."
Rideshare driving can be extremely dangerous. In May 2018, a driver shot his passenger at Interstate 25 and University Boulevard. The driver claimed he was defending himself from an attack by the passenger and was acquitted at trial.
Gonzalez thought his life was over.
"I was thinking maybe they stab me in the vital organs, and I'm going to die."
He was thinking of his wife and children and how they would be supported. The attackers ran away, but a month after the incident he says Uber has yet to turn over the information about who called for the ride.
"They kind of comforted me and said we canceled their account. We don't care that you canceled their account. We want to go get these people," said Gonzalez.
In the meantime, Gonzalez cannot work and has a family to feed. A fundraising account has been established to help them.
Uber told CBS4's Rick Sallinger they can't release specifics about the case because it is still an active investigation. The company said they "have a dedicated law enforcement team that is available 24/7 to assist law enforcement with their investigations. For more information, click here."