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Uber Driver Jason Dalton Blames Ride-Sharing Service For His Shooting-Spree, Files $10 Million Lawsuit

By Val Powell
Published on: 23:20 PST, Mar 17, 2016

The Uber driver charged for the murder of six people after he went on a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, last month has sued Uber for $10 million, saying that the company is to blame for the crimes he committed.

The man in question is Jason Dalton, and in his handwritten federal civil rights lawsuit, he claimed that the ride-sharing company is responsible for him being in prison. He also continues to blame the company for being the reason why he has not been able to spend enough time with his children and why his wife is divorcing him.

Dalton was an official Uber driver and committed the crimes while he was on duty. According to reports, he even picked up customers before, during, and after the shootings. He has been ordered to undergo a mental competency exam.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District court in Detroit. He also wrote in his lawsuit that the company ruined his life and that he was never invited to any corporate parties, pointing out that he was being discriminated against due to his mental health. In the two-page document, the father of two added that the company does not care about its drivers.

The alleged killer continued to claim that he worked for years as an Uber contractor and that they ripped him off. His claim list includes never being paid back wages and overtime pay. His Christmas bonuses were also reportedly not given to him as per his statement.

As for not being able to spend time with his two children, the Uber driver claimed that he became sick due to his long work hours on the road. He’s also accused Uber of calling him late at night to work and threatening to fire him if he said no. He added in his lawsuit that he hopes his case will be heard before a jury and that he will be representing himself.

Uber has since responded to the lawsuit, saying that it is difficult for them to deal with Dalton as they are responding to someone who “refuses to take responsibility for his own actions.”

The company continued to say that their hearts go out to the families of the victims “who have to live with the consequences of his terrible crimes.” Uber has also said in a previous statement that the troubled driver passed their background check, noting he had no previous criminal record.

The lawsuit comes after Jason Dalton claimed to investigators that Uber’s app took him over and controlled him when the shootings took place. The Uber driver told investigators that, when he logged in to the Uber app, it made him feel like a puppet and he felt a “presence.” He claimed that the app actually told him to kill his victims.

Furthermore, he also said that, compared to the other nights that he had driven for Uber, the night of the shooting was different as the screen turned black and the usual red icon changed to black as well. He made the claim when the shooting spree ended and when police officials arrested him hours later. He went on to say that he had not felt the urge to shoot the police officials even if he had a weapon on him. He explained that the screen has returned to normal and he felt like he was no longer being controlled.

The attorney of the Uber driver, Eusebio Solis, said that he was not aware of the lawsuit that his client had filed, and he has not commented on the issue.

[Image by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez, Getty Images]

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