# North Carolina police take down Lyft with passenger inside



## XPG (Oct 4, 2017)

This story is about how the ridehailing company Lyft put me in this situation. More importantly, it will show you why ridehailing companies and law enforcement are doing nothing to prevent it from happening to you - in Charlotte, in Austin, or anywhere else in America.
https://www.kxan.com/news/man-wante...p-lyft-customer-right-before-police-takedown/
*The drive-by shooting*
Just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, police in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina, say a white Ford Escape pulled up to a home on Tanfield Drive. The driver got out a .22 caliber gun and opened fire. Seven people were inside the home but no one was hurt. The driver sped away. Matthews Police issued what's called a BOLO for that wanted white SUV, or an alert for other officers to "Be On the LookOut" for it. They also had the SUV's license plate number - HCS-8232 - which would play a key role. They did not share this information with the ridehailing companies, according to a Lyft safety employee

At about the same time police were investigating this crime, I was halfway around the world packing. It was the final night of my vacation with the most lasting memory still to come in a city I had no plans to visit - Charlotte. I arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport travel weary. I had been on the go for more than 20 hours. All I wanted was Bojangles and a bed. (Bojangles is to North Carolinians what Whataburger is to Texans.)

I ordered my Lyft at 7 p.m., and the Lyft app told me driver "Bruce" would arrive in a white Ford Escape in 12 minutes - a white Ford Escape with North Carolina license plate number HCS-8232. Unknown to me, police also knew that white Ford Escape was at the airport. It tripped a nearby license plate reader. While Bruce waited in line to pick me up, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department waited too - ready to stop the SUV with a vehicle takedown. More than a dozen police officers planned to intercept the SUV on the road. They knew there was a good chance the driver had a gun

At 7:23 p.m. Bruce called me from the arrival line at the airport. I saw where he was parked, walked over to his SUV, tossed my backpack and suitcase in the trunk and hopped in the backseat on the passenger side. He had a black duffel bag in the front seat.

*The police takedown of my Lyft vehicle*
All of a sudden, lights and sirens all came on. There weren't just two police cars. It felt like there were 10.

"Oh xxxx!" Bruce said. He came to a complete stop in that far right lane.

One police officer swerved over in front of us, threw the patrol car in reverse and backed into our SUV, ramming us. A second hit us from behind. We were boxed in and jostled like bumper cars. Police officers poured out from every direction. The first officer I saw came from the passenger side of the car in front of us, his gun aimed at my Lyft driver. A second officer came up yelling from my right side behind me, his gun's sights set on me. I don't consciously remember putting my hands in the air but they were there. So were my Lyft driver's. Lights caught my eye to the left and I looked over as glass exploded. A police officer bashed in the rear driver-side window. Glass sprayed across the seat and my lap. I jerked back and could feel the glass scratching into my back.

*"I'm just a Lyft passenger," I said. It didn't seem to register. Maybe I should've said Uber.*

They locked handcuffs around my wrists, very tightly on my left, a little looser on the right. They asked if I had ID. I told them my passport was in my front left pocket. They reached in and grabbed that and my iPhone. They led me over to the police car behind my Lyft and put me inside. I could see the officers questioning Bruce. They asked him multiple times if he had a gun inside the Escape. It appeared he said yes. That shocked me.

Two different officers entered the name of my Lyft driver - Dominick Martin Kroma - into the computer with two different spellings of Dominick. Neither called him Bruce. Later after police confirmed that I was not a suspect, they took the cuffs off, searched my bags with my consent, and allowed me to get a few pictures of the SUV. I didn't realize it at the time but one of those pictures captured my Lyft driver's gun, barrel down in a black duffel bag.

*I had a number of questions:*


Why did Lyft and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police allow me to get into a car tied to a BOLO alert and a violent crime?
If police were so concerned for their safety that they had to perform a vehicle takedown, how is it OK for that vehicle to pick up passengers at the airport?
Do police officers not have a database of driver names and vehicles registered to work for ridehailing companies?
Is there no coordination between ridehailing companies and law enforcement to make sure these companies have the most updated information for rider safety?
If Dominick was my driver, who the hell was Bruce?
*No coordinated cooperation between law enforcement and ridehailing companies over BOLOs*
What I've learned from Lyft and law enforcement in the ensuing days is that there is no coordinated cooperation over potentially dangerous vehicles. Lyft performs driver background checks but that's where it stops unless police notify them. That's according to a Lyft safety employee who spoke to me the day after the shooting.

My Lyft driver, Dominick Kroma, has been arrested multiple times before for a number of felonies:










Dec. 9, 2017 - robbery with a dangerous weapon
June 18, 2018 - possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute marijuana
July 1, 2018 - possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute marijuana 
Lyft says those first three charges were ultimately dropped, and Kroma was eligible to drive for them. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office is not allowed to comment on even old charges for defendants who face current charges.

I called Lyft's safety team from the back of the police car as CMPD officers finally gave me a ride to that Bojangles. I told them police had arrested my Lyft driver with me in the car. They put me on hold and kept me on hold for so long I hung up. I wouldn't speak to Lyft on the phone until the next day.

The woman from Lyft who did call me Saturday was very nice and listened as I took her through my Lyft experience, but she was not very helpful answering my questions.

She assured me the driver would never be allowed to drive for Lyft again. (I figured.) But she wouldn't tell me if that meant Bruce or Dominick, whether Bruce was an alias or if they were two different people. That was disconcerting.

*Lyft offers no support for riders who go through a traumatic experience*
Lyft's statement also said they "have been in touch with the rider to extend our support." I'm that rider so I can tell you that's a stretch.

When something like this happens to a Lyft rider, there is no support team standing by. Like I mentioned, I was put on hold for so long I hung up.

Lyft's own team called my experience "terrifying." But they never offered to put me in touch with or pay for any counselors or anything like that. Lyft also did not point me toward any resources or help online. Instead, they just gave me $75 in Lyft credits and assured me I would not have to pay for my Lyft with Bruce, or Dominick, or whoever it was they let me get into a car with Friday night.


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## losiglow (Dec 4, 2018)

Wow. Crazy story. This happened to you? 

None of this is surprising BTW. From the cops to Lyft's response. All pretty much status-quo.


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## TemptingFate (May 2, 2019)

Better call Saul.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

To the Original Poster:
NC made a law which supercedes any city or county to make or enforce any laws which pertain to Rideshare.
Therefore
It's out of the hands of Mecklenburg law enforcement and law makers.
The fine people in Raleigh took money to let Uberlyft write their own legislation.
Look it up, happened 4 years ago.


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## XPG (Oct 4, 2017)

losiglow said:


> Wow. Crazy story. This happened to you?
> 
> None of this is surprising BTW. From the cops to Lyft's response. All pretty much status-quo.


 No it's news. I just copy-posted most relevant parts and link to the source.

This happened to journalist Wes Wilson, who also wrote up the whole experience.










He is from Texas, travels to North Carolina. Meanwhile, his forthcoming Lyft driver Bruce aka Dominick Kroma, who has been arrested multiple times before for a number of felonies, opened fire in Charlotte suburbs with his 22 caliber gun. He sped away. They had his vehicle and plate. Police issued an alert. Business as usual, driver went to the airport. Cops followed him. That's when Lyf's great algorithm comes to play, and matches Lyft driver Bruce aka Dominick Kroma with the Austin based KXAN newsdesk's executive producer Wes Wilson.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

You could have been seriously injured if that driver had resisted arrest. I do not understand why the police did not arrest "Bruce" before he picked up a pax, unless it was because he was on airport property. 
I would talk to an injury attorney, just for the heck of it. You might even get a couple of bucks. This driver has multiple felonies and should never had been approved. Multiple felonies is a pattern of misconduct behavior. It does not matter if they were dismissed.


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

Maybe if Lyft paid well, that driver wouldn't have been a lowlife thug. Just a thought.


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## Wolfgang Faust (Aug 2, 2018)

XPG said:


> No it's news. I just copy-posted most relevant parts and link to the source.
> 
> This happened to journalist Wes Wilson, who also wrote up the whole experience.
> 
> ...


He should sue Lyft.


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## IR12 (Nov 11, 2017)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> To the Original Poster:
> NC made a law which supercedes any city or county to make or enforce any laws which pertain to Rideshare.
> Therefore
> It's out of the hands of Mecklenburg law enforcement and law makers.
> ...


Legislators for sale.
Lyft/Uber have done this NATIONWIDE.
https://mobilitylab.org/2018/07/24/uber-and-lyft-are-lobbying-states-to-prohibit-local-regulation/


XPG said:


> No it's news. I just copy-posted most relevant parts and link to the source.
> 
> This happened to journalist Wes Wilson, who also wrote up the whole experience.
> 
> ...


...can't make this stuff up


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

Uber and Lyft seeem to have no respect for the public. They only care about their bottom line. Every time I read some clown commenting on sites like Linkedin saying Uber and Lyft shouldn't be regulated it make my blood boil.


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

XPG said:


> This story is about how the ridehailing company Lyft put me in this situation. More importantly, it will show you why ridehailing companies and law enforcement are doing nothing to prevent it from happening to you - in Charlotte, in Austin, or anywhere else in America.
> https://www.kxan.com/news/man-wante...p-lyft-customer-right-before-police-takedown/
> *The drive-by shooting*
> Just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, police in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina, say a white Ford Escape pulled up to a home on Tanfield Drive. The driver got out a .22 caliber gun and opened fire. Seven people were inside the home but no one was hurt. The driver sped away. Matthews Police issued what's called a BOLO for that wanted white SUV, or an alert for other officers to "Be On the LookOut" for it. They also had the SUV's license plate number - HCS-8232 - which would play a key role. They did not share this information with the ridehailing companies, according to a Lyft safety employee
> ...


How was the aux cord, mints and water? Was the air conditioning temperature set correctly? How was the radio?


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## Uberdriv18 (Apr 13, 2019)

The reason why they took so long to take this guy down was because they needed to make sure he wasn't a top organized gang stalking Mafia member who was protected by the head honcho in the area. If you were a Target like so many other targeted individuals and you had committed this crime you wouldn't have made it very far at all.


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## wn100804 (Jun 9, 2019)

0bama's son . . .


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

He's not a very good thug if he has to drive part time for Lyft.


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## TemptingFate (May 2, 2019)

Bob Reynolds said:


> He's not a very good thug if he has to drive part time for Lyft.


He's been promoted to passenger like most of the thugs who use Lyft.


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## XPG (Oct 4, 2017)

wn100804 said:


> 0bama's son . . .


 No he is not. Did you read the news?
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/i...seat/275-6ff6f23e-8776-415d-9095-170aba0ba9fa


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Did he tip in the app?


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

itsablackmarket said:


> Maybe if Lyft paid well, that driver wouldn't have been a lowlife thug. Just a thought.


---------------------------
He shot bullets into a residential building. How does that make him an underpaid RS driver?


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## wn100804 (Jun 9, 2019)

XPG said:


> No he is not. Did you read the news?
> https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/i...seat/275-6ff6f23e-8776-415d-9095-170aba0ba9fa


Oh yes he was. Quit covering up the black crime rate


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Well..

my issues with this story.

Should every PD in the world report all Bolos on vehicles to uber/lyft? Even if there's zero indication that the vehicle is uber/lyft on the rare chance that it is indeed an uber/lyft vehicle?

Let's assume i'm a cop.

I have A bolo report for the vehicle plate no HCS-8232 for a drive by shooting.

Why do i suspect uber/lyft involvement?

It's not like it's a taxi where the first description that comes to your mind... TAXI. Taxis are also universally plastered with vehicle numbers that are easier to find than the plate#.

If the cops were told Sucky-cab #45... the very first thing the cops do is start running down that cab company to get that vehicles location.

In this situation... Why do i suspect uber?

What possible clues/hints get me down that train of thought?

Also.. the driver was _clearly_ using someone elses account. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out.


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## ariel5466 (May 16, 2019)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Well..
> 
> my issues with this story.
> 
> ...


Very good point, I didn't think of it that way


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## DriverMark (Jan 22, 2018)

KK2929 said:


> ---------------------------
> He shot bullets into a residential building. How does that make him an underpaid RS driver?


The house he shot bullets into promised to "Tip In The App" .... which they failed to do. He showed them!



Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Well..
> 
> my issues with this story.
> 
> ...


Well...... in this day and age of data and communication, it seems plausible that this type of data could be made easily available for other sources to pickup and then use for whatever.

Google can collect data on millions of cell phones, and in real time, provide traffic information back to millions of cell phones using Google Maps/Waze for navigation.

Yet. Our government can't do something simple like making this information available where companies, like Lyft/Uber, can just tap it and run a check vs their ride share driver database. All of this can be automated. And lets say that data was passed to Lyft in some fashion, boom, MATCH, the "Safety Whatever" are sent an alert of this Police Alert concerning Driver Doug, Lyft can contact the Police and probably provide at some point where exactly that car is once he goes online. This all sounds easier than I'm making it sound. But could be done.


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## MondayMan (Apr 27, 2019)

This is what it takes to get a 4.8 rating on Lyft


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## nonononodrivethru (Mar 25, 2019)

XPG said:


> This story is about how the ridehailing company Lyft put me in this situation. More importantly, it will show you why ridehailing companies and law enforcement are doing nothing to prevent it from happening to you - in Charlotte, in Austin, or anywhere else in America.
> https://www.kxan.com/news/man-wante...p-lyft-customer-right-before-police-takedown/
> *The drive-by shooting*
> Just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, police in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina, say a white Ford Escape pulled up to a home on Tanfield Drive. The driver got out a .22 caliber gun and opened fire. Seven people were inside the home but no one was hurt. The driver sped away. Matthews Police issued what's called a BOLO for that wanted white SUV, or an alert for other officers to "Be On the LookOut" for it. They also had the SUV's license plate number - HCS-8232 - which would play a key role. They did not share this information with the ridehailing companies, according to a Lyft safety employee
> ...


Don't use Lyft. Ghetto passengers and ghetto drivers.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

XPG said:


> This story is about how the ridehailing company Lyft put me in this situation. More importantly, it will show you why ridehailing companies and law enforcement are doing nothing to prevent it from happening to you - in Charlotte, in Austin, or anywhere else in America.
> https://www.kxan.com/news/man-wante...p-lyft-customer-right-before-police-takedown/
> *The drive-by shooting*
> Just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, police in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina, say a white Ford Escape pulled up to a home on Tanfield Drive. The driver got out a .22 caliber gun and opened fire. Seven people were inside the home but no one was hurt. The driver sped away. Matthews Police issued what's called a BOLO for that wanted white SUV, or an alert for other officers to "Be On the LookOut" for it. They also had the SUV's license plate number - HCS-8232 - which would play a key role. They did not share this information with the ridehailing companies, according to a Lyft safety employee
> ...


Lawsuit !



itsablackmarket said:


> Maybe if Lyft paid well, that driver wouldn't have been a lowlife thug. Just a thought.


latest paycut DROVE HIM TO IT !

BRUCE IS A LYFT VICTIM !


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