This Uber driver saved a teenage girl from sex trafficking, and we think he’s truly a hero
Who says everyday people can’t be superheroes? One California Uber driver saved a girl from sex trafficking this week, and we’re literally cheering. Driver Keith Avila’s very first ride of the evening Monday involved driving three women to a Holiday Inn — one of whom was a teen.
Avila got a little suspicious when the other two women began giving instructions on how the teen should proceed once inside the hotel room, including “check for guns” and “get the money before you start touching up on the guy.” This sent alarm bells off immediately for Avila.
He couldn’t just drive away, pretending he didn’t hear what he’d heard. He knew he had to do something. And ASAP.
Once he dropped them off, Avila called the police and told them the room number he saw the women enter. The police quickly arrived, and it turned out the teen had been reported missing by her family.
Avila posted about the incident on Facebook, which you can watch in the video below.
Shortly after the call, police took the teen home and arrested the adults involved. An officer for the Elk Grove Police Department, Christopher Trim, told the Daily Beast it’s a very good thing Avila made that call based on information overheard in the Uber. While it’s unprecedented, there’s no assumption of privacy getting a ride from the service.
"If people are in a situation where they’re freely discussing a criminal activity, I would hope the driver forwards that to law enforcement," Trim said.
We’re so glad he did. Thanks to Avila’s quick thinking and actions, there’s a girl home safe.
H/T Cosmo
