A Miami-area Uber driver was arrested over the weekend after she pulled a gun on a woman earlier this month in an incident that was caught on camera and drew widespread attention on social media.
Police charged 23-year-old Jennifer Benitez with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
An arrest warrant cited by local news outlets states that Benitez was driving for Uber when she got into a verbal altercation with one of her passengers on May 12.
The victim told police that Benitez was “hostile and rude from the beginning of the ride.” Benitez reportedly drove the victim and her friend from Miami to the victim’s apartment complex in Hollywood.
Authorities state that when Benitez drove onto North 29th Avenue at Sheridan Street, the victim told her the apartment complex was on the left.
Benitez became “agitated,” and yelled, “I know, that’s why I have a GPS,” the arrest affidavit states, per WPLG. Then, she “made an aggressive left turn, causing items inside the vehicle to shift.”
Police said that after the victim questioned Benitez’s behavior, she stopped short of the complex and ordered the passengers to get out of the car. When the victim told the driver her friend was putting on her shoes, the driver demanded that they exit the vehicle immediately.
“A verbal dispute ensued, during which the driver became increasingly irate, canceled the Uber ride, and pulled a black firearm out of the center console,” the warrant states.
Police said that’s when the victim pulled out her phone and started recording the incident to “protect herself and her friend from (Benitez) accusing them of things they didn’t do.”
“As the verbal back and forth between the victim and Uber driver continued, the driver pointed the handgun directly at the victim,” the warrant states. “After the Uber driver pointed the gun at the victim, the victim and her friend exited the vehicle and immediately contacted 911.”
The victim told police that “she was extremely scared and felt Benitez was going to shoot her at any moment.”
Krissy Celess, a rising Miami rapper who goes by Bomb Ass Krissy, posted her recording of the encounter after filming the driver pull a gun on her.
In the video, Benitez demands that Celess get out of the car while she’s on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. As soon as Celess says, “She got them crazy eyes,” Benitez shouts, “Get out!” and points a gun at Celess.
No one was injured. Celess stated she was planning to sue Uber for the incident.
In a statement to WSVN, Uber said, “This is extremely concerning. We removed the driver’s access to the app and are continuing to investigate.”
Uber’s policy dictates that drivers are not allowed to carry weapons while using the Uber platform.
Benitez was arrested in Port St. Lucie, roughly 100 miles north of Hollywood, Florida, on May 17. She was extradited to Broward County and booked into jail.
