Uber Driver Shoots and Kills Armed Robber in Aventura

In Florida, the Gunshine State, it's not a terrible idea to assume just about everyone is armed and ready to fire. In the past month, at least three residents around Miami have fatally shot would-be home intruders.

Now an Uber driver has joined the Stand Your Ground brigade. Aventura Police say that when a driver for the ride-sharing service was assailed by a robber with at least two weapons yesterday just off a busy causeway, he pulled his own piece and shot the man dead.

Police have yet to release an incident report or the names of the driver or the man killed in the shooting; a spokesperson for Aventura PD tells New Times more details about the shootout will be released at 2 p.m.

But the basic details of the incident paint a frightening portrait of Wild West crime and punishment just off one of Miami's busier streets.

The trouble began with an early-morning Uber run from Aventura to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The driver picked up a fare before 6 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex just south of the bustling William Lehman Causeway, according to an Aventura Police spokesperson.

As they headed for an entrance onto the causeway, a Dodge Caravan cut them off, and a man jumped out with two handguns.

But the Uber driver had his own gun — in violation of the ride-sharing company's policies. He pulled the weapon and shot the man dead in the street as his accomplice squealed away in the Caravan.

The driver had legal permits for the weapon, police say, and isn't likely to be charged in the fatal shooting. But he could well lose his Uber gig because the company prohibits weapons for drivers or passengers in its cars. Here's Uber's policy on the issue: