MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – An Uber driver in Merritt Island was choked and carjacked on Wednesday by a 33-year-old man receiving a ride, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Derek Strang was arrested and faces a charge of carjacking with a firearm or weapon, records show.
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According to a probable cause affidavit, the driver picked up Strang in a red Jeep Cherokee around 11:20 p.m. and was traveling east on the Merritt Island Causeway when Strang slid over to the driver’s side of the vehicle and began choking the victim.
The driver pulled into a Chili’s parking lot where he was able to get away from the suspect and call 911, explaining the passenger kicked him out of his vehicle in an attempt to steal it, according to the report.
“Someone tried to steal my car,” the driver said in a 911 call released by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. “(The passenger) tried to drive (the car), but he couldn’t.”
The man arrested also called 911, informing the dispatcher he was being kidnapped by the Uber driver, who is listed as the victim in the report.
Strang went into the driver’s seat and started driving away, however, the driver said the vehicle has a feature that locks the brakes if any door is left open, so he was unable to drive far, the affidavit said.
Deputies said Strang also had a pocket knife in his possession.
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