By admin 
GLENDALE, AZ — After a Valley rideshare driver experienced a hit-and-run, she’s not as concerned about the damage to her car as she is about what happened after the collision. Rosa Flores was assaulted, and she says she is still feeling the effects of those injuries.
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Flores says she’s been driving for Uber for six years, but nothing prepared her for what happened the night of May 22.
“That was horrible. That was a horrible experience,” Flores said.
Glendale Police say Flores was driving near 43rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road around 10 p.m. when a light blue SUV sideswiped her car. Both drivers pulled into a nearby parking lot, before a woman jumped out of the SUV demanding cash for damage.
“She started telling me like a lot of different ways to scare me, so I can pay her cash,” Flores said. “She told me that she will call ICE. She told me that she will take my car away from me. She told me that she would hit me really bad.”
When Flores tried to call 911, police say the woman pushed her to the ground and started kicking her.
“I thought, ‘Oh, this girl, she want to kill me.’ I was really afraid, I was really afraid for myself, for my life,” Flores said.
Police say two men inside the SUV eventually pulled the woman away before all three left the scene.
Officers documented a bump on the back of Flores’ head and scrapes to her elbow and hand. If a suspect is located, police say they will face assault and hit-and-run charges.
Police describe the suspect as a black woman approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and 140 pounds. Two men were also inside the SUV. Investigators are now hoping to get surveillance video of the incident from nearby businesses.
“If you recognize that the other person is becoming irritated or using vulgar language or signs that they’re becoming aggressive, I would step away and end that conversation, and go over to your vehicle, where you can get inside and lock yourself in. And wait for the police to arrive,” Joseph Merced, Public Information Officer with the Glendale Police Department, said.
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After a collision, Glendale Police recommend moving to a well-lit area when possible, ideally one with cameras and other people nearby. They also advise calling police before you even get out of your car.
“You don’t know the other person,” Officer Merced said. “So if the situation is going to escalate, you want help already on the way.”
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said:
“This violent act is abhorrent. Our thoughts are with the driver, and we stand ready to assist police however we can in their investigation.”
The company says drivers have 24-7 access to emergency assistance tools through the app. A Law Enforcement Outreach Team, made up of former law enforcement professionals, is on-call to respond to urgent needs or work with police.
Drivers can also report any incident through Uber’s Safety Incident Reporting line.
For Flores, who says she’s filed reports with both Glendale Police and Uber, the physical injuries are still healing.
“I have really bad headaches, and I forgot things,” she said.
Unable to drive since the incident more than two weeks ago, she now wants to make other drivers aware.
“Call the police first,” Flores said. “Because you don’t know what the other people’s intention is.”
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