A 42-year-old rideshare driver was shot by his passenger following an argument in southwest Atlanta on Saturday evening, and the wounded driver managed to get himself to a police precinct before officers even realized what had happened. A 20-year-old man is now facing multiple charges in connection with the shooting.
According to 11Alive, Atlanta police said the shooting happened near 1095 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW on Saturday evening. Investigators say the driver got into an argument with his passenger, and as the driver tried to leave, the passenger stepped out and fired several shots at the vehicle, striking the driver.
The injured driver didn't wait around for help to arrive at the scene. Instead, he drove himself to the Atlanta Police Zone 4 precinct on York Avenue SW, where officers found him suffering from a gunshot wound. He was reported alert and conscious when he was taken to the hospital, per the outlet's report.
Suspect Identified, Multiple Charges Filed
Investigators identified the passenger as 20-year-old Manderis Seagraves. Officers recovered a gun in his possession, and he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, second-degree criminal damage to property, and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail following his arrest, the station's report notes.
Police say the investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details about what sparked the argument between the driver and his passenger have been released.
Part of a Troubling Pattern for Rideshare Drivers
This is not the only recent case in which a dispute between a rideshare driver and a passenger escalated into gunfire in the Atlanta area. In September, WRDW reported that a rideshare driver was shot by a passenger during a drop-off in southwest Atlanta, with police saying the passenger got out of the vehicle, pulled out a gun and shot the driver before fleeing the scene. And in a separate incident reported by WSB-TV, police investigated a shooting at Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta after an argument between a rideshare driver and passenger — though in that case, officers said it was the driver who shot the passenger, who was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
Police have not said whether Saturday's shooting is connected to either of those earlier incidents. For now, the case remains under investigation as detectives continue piecing together what led to the confrontation.
