A 35-year-old Uber driver suspected of threatening to hit one of his passengers with a rock, then stealing his iPhone was arrested Tuesday in Inglewood.
The victim told police Saturday afternoon that Medhanie Meshesha had been his Uber driver on Friday, and that when he arrived at his first destination, he realized he had left the phone in the car. The victim said he called Meshesha back and had him pick him up to take him home, police said.
After the victim received his phone, he offered Meshesha a tip for returning it, but the driver refused, saying he wanted more, police said.
Meshesha followed the victim out of the car, grabbed a rock and threatened to throw it at him, again demanding more money, police said.
Meshesha then swiped the phone out of the victim's hands and fled the area in his vehicle, police said.
After an investigation into the incident, authorities arrested Meshesha at his Inglewood home without incident. He is in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to police.
It was unclear if Meshesha had an attorney.
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Anyone with information on this crime was asked to call detectives at (213) 485-2562 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
City News Service contributed to this report.
