Rideshare driver robbed of car for second time in eight days

HAMPTON — A Lyft driver was robbed of her car at gunpoint in Hampton early Thursday — the second robbery of a rideshare driver in the city in the past eight days.

The 42-year-old was carrying two passengers — a man and woman — in the 2800 block of West Mercury Boulevard about 12:30 a.m., Hampton Police Sgt. Reggie Williams said in a news release.

She had picked them up near a CVS at the corner of Mercury Boulevard and Aberdeen Road, taking them about a half-mile down Mercury to Gumwood Drive.j

When they got close to Gumwood, Williams said, the man put a gun to the driver and ordered her to pull over in her black 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. She obeyed, and the passengers drove off, heading south on Gumwood.

The case is similar to an early morning armed robbery Oct.1.

About 2:30 a.m., an Uber driver picked up am an and two women on Big Bethel and Joynes roads. When they got close to their destination of a 7-Eleven near Aberdeen and Briarfield roads, police said, the man put a gun to the driver and ordered him out.

The driver, a 53-year-old Newport News man, complied, and the robbers drove off in his white 2018 Nissan Versa.

Williams said Thursday afternoon that police recovered both cars in a different jurisdiction but declined to give any details because of the investigation.

He said detectives “are considering a possible connection” between the cases because of their similarities, but “haven’t ruled anything out.”

“This isn’t a trend that we have seen in the past, but it’s certainly something that we want to try to curb as soon as possible — and apprehend the offenders that are out here targeting these ride-share drivers,” Williams said.

Ride-sharing companies connect drivers with paying riders through mobile apps.

Williams said the gunman in Thursday’s robbery was a Black man in his 20s, about 6-foot-2 and wearing dark clothes. The other passenger, he said, was a Black woman in her 20s, between 5-4 and 5-6, also wearing dark clothes.

Anyone with information about either case is asked to call the Hampton Police Division at 757–727–6111 or the Crime Line at1–888-LOCK-U-UP. People also can send anonymous tips at P3Tips.com. Crime Line callers can remain anonymous, don’t have to appear in court and could be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000.