SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - When a suspect in Metro Detroit needed a ride before and after committing an alleged bank robbery this week, he apparently turned to Uber to get the job done, police say.
The Southfield Police Department said they arrested Jason Christmas, 42, on Thursday, Nov. 17, after they traced the rideshare that he allegedly used as his getaway ride from a bank robbery.
"This is a very unusual way to commit an armed robbery in our city," Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren told Fox 2.
Barren said his department was made aware of the alleged crime around 5 p.m. Thursday at the Huntington Bank on Greenfield Road, just north of Nine Mile. Responding officers were told a masked man entered the building and slipped the teller a note that read, "this is a robbery." As an undisclosed amount of cash was handed over, police say the teller slipped a dye pack between the stacks of bills.
Police allege that Christmas used an Uber to get to the bank and the rideshare driver patiently waited outside while the suspect robbed the place.
The Uber, who police said was innocent and unaware of the robbery, then drove Christmas away afterward.
During the investigation, police were able to get the rideshare's license plate number off surveillance video and pulled the driver over on I-696.
"Anytime you get a ride-share, your identity is shared with the driver who in turn, can share with law enforcement," Barren said.
Police found red ink from the dye packs on the Uber's backseat as the driver told officers that he had dropped the suspect off at his apartment at the Heights of Southfield in Lahser -- cops later used that information to take Christmas into custody at his home.
"He had the same clothes on as the robbery which was covered in red dye," Barren said of Christmas' arrest.
As reported by Fox 2, Christmas was charged with bank robbery and a judge set his bond of half a million cash, no 10 percent.
In perhaps an even more bizarre twist, police say Christmas used an Uber to allegedly commit the crime as his license was suspended and he was worried to drive without one.
While the Christmas' motive remains unclear, Barren says he doesn't surprise him with the holidays around the corner.
"There is a lot of anxiousness to buy gifts for your loved ones," Barren said. "This is that time of year when individuals try to take advantage of our community and commit these types of crimes."