JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was arrested after an Uber driver was brutally attacked in an armed robbery and carjacking early Tuesday morning, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
According to a police report, the suspect, Anthony Williams, 20, and two others, ordered an Uber and forced the Jorge Hernandez, 43, out of his car at the West Chase apartments on the city's Westside.
Hernandez told News4Jax that he moved to the area from Mexico six years ago for the sake of his family, and said he never expected this to happen.
"It's supposed to be five minutes or less, the drive, but this guy says, 'No, we're changing the address,'" Hernandez said.
Hernandez said the men took his phone, made him drive to another complex then forced him to turn off the car and get out.
"I take out my keys to the car, I give them the keys, and when this guy was leaving, they were all leaving, and I tried to walk, and when I walked they do this," Hernandez said, adding that they then hit him in the face.
Hernandez, who works full time at Cecil Airport, said he had only been working as an Uber driver for a week.
News4Jax went to Williams’ home, where his grandfather was shocked to learn about his arrest.
His grandfather said Williams was a troubled child who he adopted at age 6 when his mother went to jail. He said his grandson stopped going to school in 10th grade and has been on a downward spiral since.
News4Jax asked Williams' grandfather, "If he could watch this report now, what would you have to say to him?"
"What did I tell you when you was here? Don't follow bad people. Stay with the right crowd," the grandfather said.
Hernandez said he’s still deciding whether he will continue working as an Uber driver.
Williams' arrest report lists the two other people involved as “co-defendants” in the case, but they have not been identified.
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said that police will be looking at Williams’ social media accounts to see if this is something he’s done before and investigate other possible cases.