Uber passenger says he warned of suspect's driving before shooting
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Before a Kalamazoo, Mich. shooting spree that left six dead, a passenger in suspect Jason Dalton's Uber taxi felt so strongly that something was wrong, he jumped out of Dalton's car, reports CBS affiliate WWMT.
Matt Mellen said the warning signs started immediately after he got into Dalton's car, just before 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The driver allegedly introduced himself using a different name, and there was a dog in the backseat, Mellen said. About a mile into the journey, the passenger says Dalton got a phone call, and then began driving erratically.
"We were driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along and when we came to a stop, I jumped out the car and ran away," Mellen said.
He said he called the police after he got out of the car. And his girlfriend posted a warning about Dalton, with his Uber profile picture, on Facebook.
"We posted the picture on Facebook just so our friends wouldn't get in the car with him if they had to take an Uber that night," says Mellen. "I'm upset because I tried contacting Uber after I had talked to the police, saying that we needed to get this guy off the road."
It was a warning that would prove prescient.
Police believe Dalton opened fire at the Meadows Townhomes just an hour and a half later, kicking off a string a shootings that didn't end for more than four hours. Eight were shot, authorities said; of those, six died.
Dalton is expected to be arraigned Monday on murder charges. The motive for the killings remains unknown, according to police.