Twin Cities Man Describes Helping Fellow Rideshare Driver Who Was Carjacked, Shot Several Times
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Last week, an Uber driver was carjacked, shot and left for dead in the middle of a St. Paul busy road. Cars drove by the man until finally one person stopped.
Shaheen Yasir, of Ramsey, grew up in Iraq, where he says he witnessed significant trauma. He came to the United States when he was 21.
"Yes, back home, there's a lot [of violence], and it's not what I wish anybody to see," he said.
Last week, he had to witness trauma again. He shared dashcam footage as he made a drop off Thursday on the eastside of St. Paul while driving for Lyft.
"I noticed something. First thing that came to my head, 'Is this is an old man, slipped on the ice?'" Yasir said.
He didn't exactly know why a man was lying on his back in the middle of the road, but he knew something was wrong.
"It was odd," Yasir said. "The way he was laying down in the middle of the street was odd, I did not see any movement."
What he did see was that other drivers kept going.
"That was shocking and extremely sad that they just passed by, they just watched from their window," Yaris said.
So he quickly sprang to action. He called 911 and then he stood guard, removing the victim's mask, shielding him from traffic.
"The guy was...his injuries were really extreme, six shots in his body," Yasir said. "It was a lot, he couldn't move...but also when he responded to me, it was like, oh, he's still alive."
Yasir and another man waited for first responders to arrive; they found the victim, an Uber driver, in critical condition. Although the man was seriously wounded, police believe he will pull through.
A St. Paul police officer applauded Yasir's efforts and quick thinking.
"He said, 'Thank you for helping this guy, if it wasn't for the call, he would've passed away,'" Yasir said.
He says healing comes from helping.
"Our duty here as individuals, we cannot control the criminals right now, but also we can help each other," he said.
Yasir says this incident has put him and other rideshare drivers on edge. He says he has been praying for the victim and his family and hopes to meet him one day.
St. Paul police arrested a Wisconsin man in connection with the shooting. He is facing a second-degree murder charge.
