Michigan Man Arrested After Using An Uber To Commit Armed Robbery

Last week, a Southfield, Michigan man, named Jason Christmas, used an Uber to get to a Huntington Bank. While the ride share driver was waiting for him to finish inside, he was completely unaware that the 42-year-old was robbing the bank that he had been driven to. After the robbery had taken place, Christmas was taken to his home.

According to Black Enterprise, the entire heist had been caught on video by the bank’s surveillance system. Within the footage, a teller was shown giving Christmas money with a dye pack inside, and him leaving in the Uber he arrived in. As he left, the license plate of the oblivious ride share driver’s car was visible, and was given to authorities. The driver was then located, and fully cooperated with police by showing them where Christmas was located.

“This is a very unusual way to commit an armed robbery in our city,” said Southfield Police Chief Elven Barren. “Anytime you get a ride-share, your identity is shared with the driver, who in turn, share with law enforcement.”

When police arrived to Christmas’ home, the red dye pack had exploded and he was covered in dye, causing officers to initially believe that he had been shot. After further investigation, they realized what had happened, and found the missing cash in his pockets that was also painted red.

According to authorities, Christmas had confessed to using the ride-share company due to him having a suspended license. Though he successfully avoided being charged with driving without a license, he was charged with armed robbery. His bail has been set at $1 million.