Current:Home > MyA Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old -ProsperityEdge
A Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old
View
Date:2025-04-22 14:48:28
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! (5)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- What causes nosebleeds? And why some people get them more than others.
- EPA announces first-ever national regulations for forever chemicals in drinking water
- Man convicted of killing 6-year-old Tucson girl sentenced to natural life in prison
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Horoscopes Today, April 9, 2024
- Texas Attorney General sues to stop guaranteed income program for Houston-area residents
- The number of tornadoes from April 2 storms in West Virginia keeps climbing, now up to seven
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- 2 Republicans advance to May 7 runoff in special election for Georgia House seat in Columbus area
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Space station crew captures image of moon's shadow during solar eclipse
- Mama June Shares How She’s Adjusting to Raising Late Daughter Anna Chickadee Cardwell’s 11-Year-Old
- Court asked to allow gunman to withdraw guilty plea in fatal shooting after high school graduation
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Fuerza Regida announces Pero No Te Enamores concert tour: How to get tickets, dates
- Man indicted in attempt to defraud 28 US federal bankruptcy courts out of $1.8M in unclaimed funds
- Psst! Ulta Beauty’s Spring Haul Sale Is Here, Save up to 50% on Clinique, Revlon, Too Faced & More
Recommendation
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
Court asked to allow gunman to withdraw guilty plea in fatal shooting after high school graduation
Louisiana’s transgender ‘bathroom bill’ clears first hurdle
Why Sam Taylor-Johnson Says It Took Years to Regain Confidence After Directing Fifty Shades
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
New Jersey Transit approves a 15% fare hike, the first increase in nearly a decade
Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers 1 year after deadly Nashville school shooting
US Postal Service seeking to hike cost of first-class stamp to 73 cents