An Uber driver who was shot during an attempted carjacking on Chicago’s West Side has opened up about the terrifying ordeal that left him with two gunshot wounds to the chest.
Speaking in Vietnamese, Minh Doan shared his story for the first time about how he was nearly killed driving for Uber.
“I was bleeding so much,” he said, speaking through a translator. “I couldn’t believe that I survived.”
The 51-year-old said he believes it was a set up and that a passenger created a fake profile to rob him.
“They’re like little kids,” he said. “They were wearing face masks, big jackets, and had their hoods on.”
Doan told NBC Chicago that he was confronted by three suspects at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night near Iowa Street and LeClaire Avenue in the city's Austin neighborhood.
“I was waiting for about three minutes when they came from the back, pointed the gun at me and told me to get out of the car and when I got out of the car—they shot me,” he said.
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The rideshare driver said he stood in the middle of the street, bleeding from his chest, and pleading for help.
“I was waving and yelling for help really loud,” he said. “I was waving so neighbors could see me. I was yelling help, help.”
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A neighbor came out minutes later, called 911, and gave him a towel to stop the bleeding as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
“Police said I’m lucky. I survived,” he said. “The previous victim from the week before shot was killed.”
Police said at least three rideshare drivers have been shot in Austin since December. Two of the incidents were deadly, including one that killed Lyft driver Adriana Arocha Duque. She was fatally shot the day after Christmas.
Doan, meanwhile, has been driving for Uber for five years. The company released a statement to NBC Chicago: “This violent attack is sickening, and our hearts are with the driver. We’re in touch with law enforcement and will continue to assist in their investigation in any way we can.”
The father of three has been held at gunpoint twice before while on the job and said he is ready to give it up.
“Driving for Uber gives you the freedom and flexibility,” he said. “But driving for Uber is not worth it.”
He said the three suspects took off running after the shooting, left the car and got away with his phone.
As of Friday night, Chicago police only had a vague description of the suspects. Area Four detectives were investigating.
