An Uber driver waiting for a fare was injured this Christmas Eve, when a man followed the car on foot then fired shots into the vehicle.
According to San Francsico Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak, a ShotSpotter device in the area picked up gunfire at Oak and Buchanan Streets at 3:01 a.m. on Saturday.
"After a search," Andraychak says, they located the victim, a 31-year-old Sacramento man who "drives for a TNC company" at Oak and Gough. He was suffering from "non life threatening injuries to his face."
ABC 7 reports that that TNC company is Uber, and the driver is an Afghan refugee and father of two who asked to be identified by the pseudonym "Mohammad," as he is "afraid for his safety."
Andraychak says that Mohammad "told officers he was in a Toyota sedan on Oak St waiting for a passenger when an unidentified male suspect approached his car and fired a shot at the windshield." He "drove away, stopping several blocks later where he called 9-1-1."
ABC 7 reports that the suspect had "followed him for a few blocks on foot, before running to his window and firing."
"He take out the gun and he shoot me and, um, fortunately the bullet just pass from my face," Mohammad told ABC 7.
Andraychak says that an ambulance was summoned to treat Mohammad at the scene, as investigators "noted damage to the windshield that appeared consistent with a bullet impact." A search of the area did not yield any suspects, however, so no arrests have been made nor is any suspect information available.
When contacted by SFist, an Uber spokesperson responded that “The individual reported this to us directly through the app and we’ve been in contact with him over the weekend. We’re very relieved he is OK.”
Andraychak asks that anyone with information on the case call the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or Text A Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.