2 teens arrested in carjacking of Uber driver in Homewood North
An Uber driver is safe after being held at gunpoint and carjacked by two teenagers this morning.
Patrick Beatty, 16, and Tyrese Olverson, 19, were arrested after police chased them in the stolen Uber around 2 a.m.
Beatty is being charged as an adult.
The Uber driver picked up the teens in Homewood and they reportedly entered his vehicle wearing ski masks. According to the criminal complaint, the driver was held at gunpoint before being forced out of the car.
The situation ended a short time later in Penn Hills after Beatty reportedly crashed the car into a utility pole, and was snatched up by the K9 officer.
Olverson ran and was caught behind a BP gas station, telling police he surrendered because he didn’t want to be shot or tased.
“First, we are in prayer for the driver and for their family. I’m certain this was a traumatic experience,” said Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, who represents Homewood.
Police say the driver was not hurt and immediately called 911.
According to Burgess, that doesn’t make the crime any more forgivable.
“I am not an apologist for crime. If you do crime, you should be willing to do the time,” Burgess said.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said, “What this driver experienced is terrifying and completely unacceptable. As soon as this was reported to us we removed the rider’s access to the platform. We have been in touch with the driver and stand ready to assist law enforcement in their investigation.”
Beatty’s arrest is the third juvenile we’ve covered this year who is accused of a violent crime while on at-home ankle monitoring. Beatty told police he cut his monitor off a week ago.
“They’re repeat offenders. You have a small group of people who are doing crime after crime after crime and disrupting the life of a neighborhood,” said Burgess.
Burgess now worries crimes like this will deter delivery and rideshare drivers from serving customers in Homewood.
“These incidents can have an avalanche or snowball effect of causing other entities to refuse to service and then that increases this community’s isolation. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you continue to ignore, it’s going to get worse,” said Burgess.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
Get tickets to 4 Pittsburgh shows for $80 with LiveNation Summer’s Live promotion Powerball: Here are the numbers for Wednesday’s $1 billion jackpot See which ZIP codes in the Pittsburgh region have the highest earning residents VIDEO: Trial continues for man accused of killing Stowe Township toddler DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
