MULBERRY, Fla. — A woman is charged with armed robbery after she attempted to rob an Uber driver, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say they responded to a call of an armed robbery at around 8 p.m. Sunday in Mulberry. When officials arrived, they say the Uber driver told them he was robbed at gunpoint.
The driver was dropping off two passengers when they asked if they could pay for a second ride to another location, and asked if he could pick up their friend, 27-year-old Jasia Owens, PCSO said in a news release.
Owens reportedly tried to get inside the vehicle with a dog, but was told by the driver he did not want her pet in his car. He then asked the group to leave his vehicle.
Witnesses and the driver both tell deputies Owens then became "irate" and refused to leave his car.
The driver and Owens then started arguing before Owens pulled a handgun from her bag, threatened the driver and took his cellphone, the release reads. He then tried to leave the scene in his car, but she reportedly prevented him from leaving.
Once the Uber driver was able to leave, he drove down the street and flagged down a bystander, using their phone to call 911.
Officials say they recovered the weapon used in the robbery, a 9mm Sig Sauer, in the driveway of a nearby home, under a vehicle near the scene.
The witness at the house reportedly told the sheriff's office that Owens came onto their driveway and asked for a ride to her sister's house, and that she appeared to be in a rush to leave the area.
PCSO says Owens has a previous criminal history that includes aggravated assault, grand larceny and battery.
