‘Overprotective’ dad held gun on Uber driver bringing daughter home, Florida cops say
A family curfew violation spiraled into a life-threatening situation when a protective father pulled an AR-22 rifle on the Uber driver bringing his daughter home, according to investigators in the Florida Panhandle.
No one was shot, but the driver was held to the ground at gunpoint while the girl’s father examined his driver’s license, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit.
It happened around 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, and the Santa Rosa Press Gazette reports the girl is 13.
The driver was dropping her at a home in the Milton area when a man armed with a rifle forced him to get out of the car, according to the report. The driver says he was allowed to stand up only after showing his driver’s license and explaining he worked for Uber, officials said.
Investigators say the girl corroborated his story, telling deputies her 64-year-old father “was acting crazy waving his gun around and yelling,” officials said.
Her father told deputies the dispute was a misunderstanding that began when his daughter left home without permission. He was waiting in his truck for her to return, not knowing who she was with or when she might come home.
“When he saw a vehicle coming down the street he knew it was the car (she) was in,” the affidavit reports. “He was afraid for his daughter’s safety and didn’t know who she was with.”
Her father was arrested and charged with false imprisonment of a person and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, officials said.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson called it a “case of being an overprotective parent to some extent,” WEAR reported.
“Obviously you’re talking about a young girl being out late at night. If it’s my daughter, I’d be worried as well,” he told the station. “But it’s important to get all the facts that you can get prior to engaging somebody.”
Milton is about a 25-mile drive northeast from Pensacola.
This story was originally published May 10, 2024 at 11:52 AM with the headline "‘Overprotective’ dad held gun on Uber driver bringing daughter home, Florida cops say."