INDIANAPOLIS – A 17-year-old is being charged as an adult after police say he robbed a rideshare driver and fired a shot in his direction last year outside of a hotel on Indy’s far north side.
Court documents said a man driving for Uber was waiting outside of the Homewood Suites on W. 94th Street when instead, he was approached by someone with a gun on Nov. 2, 2023. The driver told police the suspect was wearing surgical gloves as he demanded: “Give me everything in your car.”
Court documents said he handed over his wallet and followed the suspect as he ran toward an Extended Stay America hotel nearby when the suspect turned around and fired a shot in his direction.
“It’s hard to say what somebody’s going to do in a certain situation or how one could essentially get away from a dangerous encounter,” said IMPD Officer Drew Brown. “But be aware of your surroundings; know that no personal property is worth losing your life over.”
Police later learned the teenage suspect was staying in one of the hotels with his father after they traced a shell casing from the scene to a gun he reportedly used to commit another crime later that month.
Damarquis Dillon, now 17 years old, was arrested, charged and eventually took a plea deal in that case, as his rap sheet grew to include more felonies stemming from a separate incident that September. Meanwhile, detectives continued reviewing security footage from the hotels and speaking with the driver, who said he was afraid for his life that day.
Officer Drew Brown suggests rideshare drivers take advantage of in-app emergency features and call 911 right away if they feel they’re in danger.
“I can also recommend reaching out to a trusted family member or friend, letting them know you’re going to be doing rideshare services in a certain area, just being aware of your surroundings in general,” Brown added.
According to the probable cause affidavit, IMPD submitted a search warrant to Uber for the victim’s account. Documents said the company responded saying it couldn’t locate the account from which the initial ride was ordered.
Still, investigators had enough to build their case against the teen.
“It’s unsettling to see youth involved in violence that could affect the rest of the course of their life,” Brown said. “A lot of these issues are deep-rooted and it’s going to take all of us – it’s a community effort – it’s an effort with the parents or caretakers of the juvenile to make sure they don’t go down a certain path.”
IMPD said Dillon would be charged as an adult. Online court records list several felony charges, including armed robbery, criminal recklessness, battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a child.
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Uber. A spokesperson said they are “continuing to look into it,” but they haven’t been able to confirm the trip in question.
