Uber driver shoots armed attacker outside restaurant

I’ve met several people who were delivery drivers. You probably know some, too. Going to sketchy areas late at night is dangerous. I would have thought that picking up a delivery at a restaurant in the middle of the afternoon would be safe. I was wrong. A delivery driver in Florida faced an armed man and defended himself. Here is the rest of the story.

The delivery driver pulled into a parking place at about 3:45 p.m. The driver exited his vehicle and walked inside the restaurant to pick up an order. A stranger followed the driver inside. The driver picked up the order and left. The stranger followed the driver. Once the driver was outside, the stranger pushed the delivery driver from behind. The driver fell down. I assume the driver dropped his bag of food. When the driver rolled over, he saw a man standing over him and threatening him with a knife in his hands.

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The delivery driver was armed. It appears that he presented his handgun while he was still on the ground. He shot his attacker one time. The attacker retreated, so the defender stopped shooting. The attacker went back into the restaurant and asked for help. Someone in the store called 911 and also applied first aid to the gunshot wound in the attacker’s chest. The attacker was flown to a hospital. The injuries were later called ‘non-life-threatening’.

The defender remained at the scene. He was interviewed by the police. Witnesses saw a knife in the attacker’s hands when the attacker left the restaurant.
The defender recognized a lethal threat. The defender was at a position of disadvantage since he was lying on his back and the attacker was standing over him. The threat was also immediate and unavoidable. The Uber driver used lethal force to defend himself until the threat stopped. During his interview, the police took the defender’s firearm.

The attacker had a second knife in his pocket. The attacker, Christopher Harris, faces charges of attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He also faces charges of felony battery based on a prior battery conviction. Harris was booked into jail. This latest attack seemed to be over a parking place.

Uber makes public statements claiming that their drivers and their customers may not go armed. This driver saved his life because he was armed on the job. In contrast, we all park our cars.

Rob Morse writes about gun rights at his SlowFacts blog and hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society podcast.