The Houston Police Department’s Robbery Division was able to find and arrest a man who shot his Uber driver after the driver refused to take him to a new destination. Turns out, he was out on bond for assaulting a pregnant woman just a month prior to shooting his Uber driver.
The incident happened on November 27, 2022, after police say Manny Diaz-Massa tried to rob his Uber driver after he refused to take him and his companion to a new destination.
According to court documents, the Uber driver told police that Diaz-Massa requested that the Uber driver wait 2 minutes while his companion, Mariah Williams went inside a residence which was their first location.
After about 20 minutes, the Uber driver advised them that he was nearing the end of his planned shift and told Diaz-Massa that he would no longer be taking him to their next destination. At this point, the Uber driver said Diaz-Massa became very upset and started to make threats about physically harming them. The Uber driver then agreed to take them to their next destination, the Shell Gas Station located on Quitman St. Diaz-Massa then instructed the Uber driver to park on the far side of the parking lot in a dark area. The Uber driver decided to park the vehicle in a well-lit area instead.
After he parked his vehicle, court documents say the Uber driver then ordered both occupants out of the vehicle and proceeded to open the back door. Williams and their dog then exited the vehicle.
Diaz-Massa then exited the vehicle and approached the Uber driver as he sat down in the vehicle. He then demanded the driver get out of the vehicle and pointed the gun at his chest and demanded his keys. The Uber driver stated to police that he was able to push the gun down before it discharged. He then fled the scene on foot, while the woman driver requested another Uber which came before officers arrived.
Police were then able to identify Diaz-Massa after gathering video footage from the gas station and matching it from the Extended Stay motel where they were initially picked up at, along with their Dalmation dog.
Police then searched the database using the footage gathered and learned that Diaz-Massa was out on bond for “assaulting a pregnant person” about a month prior. His bond, in that case, was set at $10,000.
He is still in Harris County jail and his bond is currently set at $60,000.
