Uber Driver Says He Was Chased and Shot At by Dirt Bike and ATV Riders in Northeast DC

An Uber driver from Rockville, Maryland, says a routine Sunday shift turned into a frightening chase when a group of dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle riders pursued him through the District and one of them fired a gun at his car.

Javier Gutierrez said the first six hours of his shift were unremarkable. Then, at about 9 p.m., after leaving the Union Market area to pick up a passenger, he came upon the group near H and 4th streets in Northeast. He said he had a green light while the riders did not, so he slowly tried to work his way through a gap in the group.

Once he was in the intersection, Gutierrez said, one of the bikes struck the front of his car. The riders then turned their attention to him. "I instantly panicked and started driving away," he said.

What followed, by his account, was several tense minutes in which riders chased him across the city. Gutierrez said he broke traffic rules to escape. "I was speeding through residential streets; I was running traffic lights; I was running stop signs. I tried to get as far away as I could from them," he said.

Some minutes into the pursuit, Gutierrez said, he saw one of the riders pull out a gun. "They fired several shots and a couple of those shots made it into my car," he said. He said he then concentrated on getting away, and the dirt bikes and ATVs eventually disappeared. "I was afraid for my life," he said. "If I stop, you know, they're gonna end up killing me. So I didn't want to die."

Near the Marine Barracks in Southeast, Gutierrez said, several Marines helped him call 911. It was there that he noticed two bullet holes in the back of his car.

D.C. police said officers responded to the call and found the two bullet holes. A police spokesman said investigators were looking into an altercation between Gutierrez and someone on a four-wheeler. According to a police report, detectives are examining possible charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and destruction of property. No suspect details had been released.

Gutierrez said the experience has left him rattled and that he plans to leave rideshare work. "I decided it was no longer worth it to drive for Uber; I'm just going to look for another job that doesn't involve — you know, dangerous situations," he said.

He is asking people who live or work along H and 4th streets Northeast, and in the neighborhoods between Union Market and the Marine Barracks, to check security cameras for footage of the incident and pass anything they find to police. Anyone with information can call police at 202-727-9099.

Separately, in neighboring Prince George's County, Maryland, the county council is discussing legislation aimed at cracking down on the illegal use of off-road vehicles.