Hero Uber Driver Prevents Shooting Spree Using Concealed Handgun

 

Uber’s luster has long been dimmed by multiple allegations of physical and sexual assault against their drivers.

But this time, one Uber driver, whose name has not been released, is being called a hero after he halted what could’ve been a massive shooting spree in Chicago this weekend.

Shortly before midnight on Friday, minutes after dropping off a passenger, the Uber driver witnessed Everardo Custodio, 22, firing into a nearby crowd in Logan Square, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Uber driver then reached for his gun and fired six shots at the man. When paramedics arrived, they found Custodio on the ground, bleeding.

Authorities and the assistant state’s attorney say no charges will be filed against the Uber driver because the 47-year-old Little Italy resident has a concealed-carry permit and acted in defense of himself and others.

For a melee at this level, the chances of everyone at the scene surviving with no injuries is slim. Only one injury was treated. Custodio was taken to the hospital for gunshot wounds to the shin, thigh and lower back, authorities said. He was charged with aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon and was denied bond during the Sunday court hearing.

While there is a right to bear arms in the home for self-defense in Illinois, some circuit courts have extended that right, a result of the Heller-McDonald ruling, to places outdoors.

Under Chicago’s previous gun regulation rules, the driver would have had to choose between “saving lives and avoiding a lengthy, potentially life-ruining prison sentence,” according to Business Insider.