Wild Uber situation

[cannabis_flower]

I'm a substitute teacher and since I don't get paid much and don't get paid at all during the summer I drive for Uber to make ends meet.

A few days ago, I went to pick up a rider on the west side of Houston and the ride was for "Kristina". I got there and a guy comes up and he says he's my rider and I ask him who ordered the ride and he said Kristina so I let him in.

We were about to leave and all of a sudden the door opens and the guy says something like "Hey, what's going on" and I looked back and he was being handcuffed and dragged out of the car. I noticed that the car was being blocked by a vehicle.

I was about to cancel the ride and get my $3.75 cancellation fee. The officer came up and told me not to cancel the ride. He said they had ordered the Uber because it was the only way they could get him to come out of the apartment. They told me to go ahead and take the ride without a passenger, that it was on them and they would give me a tip. This was a trip toward my destination so I asked them if I could change the destination to closer to my house. I didn't set it to exactly my house, put the address as the grocery store near me. They also showed me a gun that he had. They did give me a tip as promised.

The officers were wearing shirts that said Fugitive Investigative Unit. I asked them what the guy did and all he said was that he missed a court date.

Not really sure how I feel about this. I'm pretty sure I don't like the idea that they would involve me in this but it happened so fast that neither me not the passenger know what was happening until it was all over. I don't think they should have gotten me involved in this. What if the guy had seen it coming and pulled out the gun and started shooting.

[LisaL]

1. Yep, seems like they shouldn't have involved you in their apprehending of an armed

suspect without you knowing anything about it. What if the guy started shooting? They would have shot back and there is no guarantee you would have come out alive.

[cannabis_flower]

2. I suppose

they thought that if I knew about it I might not agree to it. Also, if I knew about it I might get nervous and either tip him off or cancel the ride.

[gratuitous]

3. Don't see why the cops had to risk their personal involvement

Why not just give Uber drivers their own set of cuffs?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. Did the "officer" look like this?

Sounds more like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" than an actual cop.

Be safe.

[cannabis_flower]

8. Nope

More like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x8640bf3d87966159%3A0xcd372b4ada2ac84b!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN1-YvPTCFhJbKEAqWPT8cMn9dq7Gu7a5B-U6-r%3Dw277-h160-k-no!5sfugitive%20investigation%20unit%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipN1-YvPTCFhJbKEAqWPT8cMn9dq7Gu7a5B-U6-r&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjipLDLwrDkAhVp8OAKHch8CsAQoiowEnoECAsQBg

But now that I look at it, it does seem that they were bounty hunters.

[cannabis_flower]

11. Two of the people who talked to me

Are pictured in this link under

In the night

https://www.division6fiu.com/news-features/

[VMA131Marine]

29. Definitely bounty hunters.

Division 6 Fugitive Investigations Unit is a private company not a law enforcement entity. Although, you wouldn't know that from their uniforms.

[Sogo]

5. Or....

....the guy could have taken you hostage....

[Codeine]

6. I'm not entirely sure I believe this. nt

[cannabis_flower]

13. Who cares?

Who cares what you believe or don't believe? Why would I lie about this anyway?

[Iggo]

20. .

[Wounded Bear]

7. Fugitive Investigations googles to the US Marshalls...

which makes sense if this was a bench warrant for non-appearance.

Still sounds pretty iffy to me. Might be that the Marshall's service has made a deal with Uber to do this kind of stuff. Seems you should have been notified, though. That could easily have been a life-threatening situation if the guy was of the uber violent (sorry for the pun) type. I think I would call Uber and ask what gives.

No way they should be involving unwitting civilians in their stings.

[cannabis_flower]

9. I think they were bounty hunters

If you look on the right in the google search it says Division 6 FUI - Private Investigator in Houston, Texas. It also has pictures with guys in the same uniforms that I saw.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Could be...

but it isn't something that the US Marshalls should be sub-contracting, IMO.

If they're wearing the gear, there has to be some gov't liability behind it.

I'd still call your Uber rep, or whatever you call them.

[Disaffected]

12. Not following,

how would their ordering of Uber get the guy out of the apartment?? And why would they order it for a "Kristina"?

[cannabis_flower]

14. Kristina was the name on the account

People can order Uber to pick up their friends or relatives. It's done all the time. I suspect they somehow lured him on social media with the promise to "hook up". Or a friend of his could have cooperated and told him that his friend Kristina wanted to buy drugs from him. The friend would have been Kristina - the cop or bounty hunter, or whatever she was.

[Disaffected]

16. OK, thanks.

[mulsh]

15. I think you should have a talk with the local police. FUI may have broken some laws there, they

endangered an innocent by stander. who knows you might even get some more money out the reward for this bail jumper these bounty hunters conned you in to helping catch.

Most valid cops are loathe to involve civilians in police activities for a number of very good reasons.

[LisaL]

19. Exactly, this could have gone south any number of ways.

Involving an innocent bystander without that bystander agreeing or knowing is not something a cop should be doing.

[Leith]

21. I know, right?

How could officers of the law bring an unknowing person into a potentially dangerous situation like that? How horrible it would be to be stuck in a vehicle with a guy in a gun battle with cops!

The very least they could do is have a fake Uber car with one of the LEOs driving.

[gldstwmn]

26. I think they broke the law.

Endangerment maybe?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. FTP.

[cannabis_flower]

18. ?

[Codeine]

22. FTP

means “fuck tha police.”

[bluecollar2]

23. Bounty hunters

Involving you was illegal. You should report this to local law enforcement.

[Skittles]

24. you need to talk to your local cops

it sounds strange, very strange - why would they involve a civilian like that

also report it to Uber

[gldstwmn]

25. Were they bounty hunters?

Cops don't use unwitting civilians in something like that. Someone could have been hurt. You need to let Uber and your local police department know. This doesn't seem legitimate.
If it turns out they were bounty hunters I would report them to whatever agency licenses them.

[DashOneBravo]

27. I call the cops about that.

Bounty hunters caused at shootout in a car dealership in 2017. Three died.

[2naSalit]

28. I'd be contacting an attorney then the local cops.

If that doesn't get some interest, then more social media.