An Uber ride turned into a high-speed police chase and has now left a Memphis passenger rattled and a driver facing serious charges. Cordarius Johnson, 23, was charged with aggravated kidnapping, evading arrest with a vehicle, and running a red light after he allegedly fled from police with a frightened passenger in tow on February 28.
Matthew McAllister, the unwitting passenger involved in the chase, recalled the harrowing experience in an interview with FOX13. "It’s nerve wracking," he said. “It’s hard to sleep.”, McAllister is still grappling with the aftermath, noting that the event has even invaded his dreams, leading him to wake friends with his nocturnal screams for escape.
Detailed in a report by Action News 5, the pursuit began after Johnson was initially stopped for running a red light. As officers conducted the traffic stop on Collins Street, Johnson appeared uncooperative, hesitantly lowering his passenger window and refusing to roll down the driver’s side. When an officer returned to a patrol car, presumably to retrieve stop sticks, Johnson bolted with McAllister still in the backseat, igniting the chase.
The chase, which witnessed speeds in excess of 100 mph, found Johnson weaving through traffic and running additional red lights, per McAllister's recollection of the speedometer. “At one point, I look at the speedometer and we are doing 120,” he recounted in the statement obtained by FOX13. Facing a terrifying dilemma, McAllister eventually took his chance to exit the vehicle when Johnson slowed to make a turn.
An arrest wasn’t made until March 12, when Johnson was spotted speeding by officers once again. As of now, Johnson is held at Shelby County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Uber has since denounced the actions of the former driver and has removed his access to the app, stating in a report by FOX13, “We can’t imagine how scary this must have been for the rider, and we’re relieved they were not injured.”
According to a third report by WREG, the events that lead to the chase initiated with a traffic stop for running a red light at Tillman and proceeded as Johnson slightly opened the vehicle's window, not fully complying with the officer's requests. This set the stage for what would become a harrowing experience for McAllister, leaving lasting mental and emotional scars.
