Current:Home > MyA Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old -Wealth Empowerment Academy
A Virginia woman delivering DoorDash was carjacked at gunpoint by an 11-year-old
View
Date:2025-04-27 19:42:41
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! (794)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Letting go of a balloon could soon be illegal in Florida: Balloon release bans explained
- Dodgers provide preview of next decade as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto play together
- Horoscopes Today, March 6, 2024
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Here's how much you need to earn to live comfortably in major U.S. cities
- Xcel Energy 'acknowledges' role in sparking largest wildfire in Texas history
- What to know about abortion provider Dr. Caitlin Bernard, a guest at State of the Union
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Federal Reserve’s Powell: Regulatory proposal criticized by banks will be revised by end of year
Ranking
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Kristin Cavallari Shares the Signs She Receives From Her Brother 8 Years After His Death
- This week on Sunday Morning (March 10)
- 'Princess Bride' actor Cary Elwes was victim of theft, sheriffs say
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Cryptocurrency fraud is now the riskiest scam for consumers, according to BBB
- 17-year-old boy dies after going missing during swimming drills in the Gulf of Mexico
- Former congressional candidate and pro wrestler arrested in Vegas murder of man who was wrongly imprisoned for cold-case killing
Recommendation
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
NFL mock draft: Broncos, Eagles aim to fill holes left by Russell Wilson, Jason Kelce
Oprah Winfrey to Host Special About Ozempic and Weight-Loss Drugs
Powerball winning numbers for March 6, 2024 drawing: Jackpot rises to $521 million
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Mega Millions lottery jackpot up to 6th largest ever: What to know about $687 million drawing
New Mexico ranks last when it comes to education. Will a mandatory 180 days in the classroom help?
Iowa poised to end gender parity rule for governing bodies as diversity policies targeted nationwide