The sheriff says an Uber driver was beaten with an unknown object while he was being attacked by three suspects who robbed him and tried to steal his vehicle in Beach Park.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:05 a.m. Saturday to the 10100 block of West Talmadge Avenue in Beach Park for a call of a robbery.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies arrived and located the victim, a 40-year-old South Dakota man.
A preliminary investigation shows the victim, an Uber driver, was requested through the rideshare app to pickup three passengers at an unknown address.
The driver picked up the passengers and drove them to their destination address in the 10100 block of West Talmadge Avenue in Beach Park.
The three attacked the Uber driver and attempted to steal his vehicle, Covelli said.
The victim fought back, started yelling and honked his car’s horn.
The suspects then struck the victim in the head with an unknown object. They stole his cell phone before fleeing on foot.
Covelli said the rideshare driver had injuries to his head and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
A sheriff’s canine team responded to the scene to conduct a track but it ended without the offenders being located.
The victim’s cell phone was located approximately three miles away from the scene on the side of a roadway.
Evidence technicians collected evidence at the scene that will be further examined to identify the offenders, Covelli said.
The incident remains under investigation by sheriff’s detectives.
Covelli said rideshare drivers should always verify their rider and their ratings and not pickup riders with “phantom profiles.”
Drivers should also know the area they are providing rides and use a dash camera to record riders, Covelli added.