Uber driver credited with saving teen from sex trafficking
SACRAMENTO (FOX) - An Uber driver is now being credited for helping rescue a sex trafficking victim.
It happened while he was driving the young girl along with two older women in the Sacramento area.
After the driver overheard what he thought was a concerning conversation he took action and contacted police.
Barely a month into the job Uber driver Keith Avila received a ride request Monday night from Oak Park to Elk Grove. It was a ride that would earn him less than $8.
Almost immediately, Avila noticed what the girl sitting next to him was wearing.
"She had a really short skirt, so you could see all of her legs," he said. "It struck me as odd cuz she was so young and she was dressing like that."
Then he noticed a conversation between the 16-year-old girl and one of the two women in the back seat. Keith says it sounded more like coaching.
"First thing you want to do is ask if they have any weapons. When you're hugging them just ask if they have any weapons - pat them down, pat them down while you're hugging him."
Then he heard a second instruction. "Get the donation first. before you start touching him going in there, get the donation first."
Keith quickly became aware that the Holiday Inn in Elk Grove was more than just a stop for the girl next to him.
As soon as he dropped off the girl and two women, he called police.
"I just get just enough distance, so they're not going to see me and I make the phone call," he said.
The two women who were riding with the young girl were arrested and are in the Sacramento County Jail.