Current:Home > ScamsA Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old -Elevate Capital Network
A Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old
View
Date:2025-04-11 23:35:48
A woman was delivering a DoorDash order in Virginia when she said she was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old and a young adult.
Deon Smith, 40, told Scripps News Richmond she was making a delivery to an apartment complex in South Richmond after midnight on Nov. 30 when she was approached by two people.
"When I was going inside I saw two kids outside," Smith told the outlet. "The little one approached me. I was thinking he was asking for money or something, but little did I know he was pointing a gun at me asking for my keys."
Scripps News reported that Smith tried to de-escalate the situation with the child that she later learned was 11 years old.
"When he told me that he was going to shoot me I was like, 'Are you serious? You want to kill somebody at your age,'" she said. "I was asking, ‘Where is your mom?’ and ‘Why are you out here this time of night?’"
She had kept her car running as made the delivery, and as she was in an exchange with the 11-year-old, the older suspect got in her driver's seat and called out for the child to get in.
In a statement released to USA Today a DoorDash spokesperson said: “Helping Dashers feel safe and supported is a top priority. This violent behavior has absolutely no place on our platform. We have reached out to the Dasher to offer our support and are in contact with local law enforcement to assist their investigation in any way we can.”
The statement went on to emphasis that DoorDash has a 24/7 Trust & Safety team available to assist dashers or community members in emergency situations.
Carjacking's on the rise:FBI agent carjacked at gunpoint in Washington D.C. amid city's rise in stolen vehicles
Police say suspects crashed and totaled car
Smith, whose full-time job is as a home health care nurse said the pair told her to also get in but she refused. Instead, she called the police, who an hour later told her that her car had been involved in an accident and had been totaled.
According to a GoFundMe site made on her behalf by family members of patients Smith has looked after as a homecare nurse, Smith had paid her car off just two months prior. The GoFundMe is raising money to help Smith get to work.
"Because she currently has no car, she is unable to get to her jobs, which makes it challenging to support herself and her 10-year-old daughter. All money raised from this will go directly to Deon so she can get to jobs, and support herself and her daughter," the page said.
The Richmond Police Department did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but confirmed to Scripps News that two suspects, an 18-year-old and the 11-year-old were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the crash.
They were discharged from the hospital and arrested. They face robbery charges.
Smith told Scripps News that she was just grateful to have survived the harrowing incident.
"Just pray and ask God to protect at all costs, just to keep life, because a car can be replaced, but you cannot be," she said.
veryGood! (8892)
Related
- Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
- Arkansas attorney general rejects wording of ballot measure seeking to repeal state’s abortion ban
- Rosalynn Carter set for funeral and burial in the town where she and her husband were born
- Storm closes schools in Cleveland, brings lake-effect snow into Pennsylvania and New York
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Where to watch animated film 'Reindeer in Here' this holiday
- Judge dismisses liberal watchdog’s claims that Wisconsin impeachment panel violated open meeting law
- Groom kills his bride and 4 others at wedding reception in Thailand, police say
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- Maryland roommates claim police detained them at gunpoint for no reason and shot their pet dog: No remorse
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Coal power, traffic, waste burning a toxic smog cocktail in Indonesia’s Jakarta
- Court clears France’s justice minister of conflict of interest
- 'No words': Julia Roberts' shares touching throwback photo as twins turn 19 years old
- IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
- Judge dismisses liberal watchdog’s claims that Wisconsin impeachment panel violated open meeting law
- Why You Still Need Sunscreen in Winter, According to a Dermatologist
- Puerto Rico’s famous stray cats will be removed from grounds surrounding historic fortress
Recommendation
Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say
Timothée Chalamet Reveals If He Asked Johnny Depp for Wonka Advice
Georgia Republicans move to cut losses as they propose majority-Black districts in special session
Michigan to join state-level effort to regulate AI political ads as federal legislation pends
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
What we know as NBA looks into Josh Giddey situation
In the US, Black survivors are nearly invisible in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis
Hunters killed nearly 18% fewer deer this year in Wisconsin’s nine-day gun season