As an Uber Eats driver, you can, by all means, use up your skills and resources to help people satiate their hunger whenever they order via the app and you deliver. However, there must never, ever turn the road into “Grand Theft Auto.”
Yet, this is precisely what 28-year-old Michael Ortiz, an Uber Eats driver in Deltona in Florida, did when he pointed a submachine pistol at a McDonald’s customer and motorist for no reason. He was already arrested, but here’s what happened.
A road rage incident in Deltona was the cause. It happened on June 16th, shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time, outside a McDonald’s in town.
The victim told the police he had just picked up his order from the McDonald’s drive-thru window and pulled forward. Just as he was about to make a left turn out of the drive-thru lane, the suspect, who was in his BMW convertible, likewise made a left turn, passing the customer on the right side.
At the stop sign from the McDonald’s parking lot, Ortiz’s car pulled to a stop, blocking the customer’s path. The innocent McDonald’s got into an argument with Ortiz, and that’s when the gunpointing started.
When the victim announced he was calling the 911 emergency number, arrest reports said the suspect started speeding across Howland Boulevard and went to Wendy’s.
But he was unsuccessful as he was arrested during a traffic stop. The police found a Ruger .380 caliber handgun in his pocket. Then, inside his backpack, there was a magazine sticking out, where they found the MAC 11 submachine pistol with a round chambered and a loaded magazine, the weapon used to point at the McDonald’s customer. So, he had multiple guns in possession. Creepy.
The cause of his actions was unclear. Was he under the influence? Was he mentally ill? No details were provided on this matter.
Ortiz was jailed on charges of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a concealed firearm. Two days later, he posted a $5,000 bail and freed himself.
Should he really have been allowed to post bail? Share your thoughts by creating that account on this site.
What he did was definitely prohibited and against the law? According to Uber Eats’ official Community Guidelines, “Riders and their guests, as well as drivers and delivery people, are prohibited from carrying firearms while using the Uber Marketplace Platform, to the extent permitted by applicable law.”