ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A Central Florida couple just wanted a rideshare home, but instead, their Lyft driver is accused of taking them on a wild ride. He’s also accused of pulling a gun after the couple jumped out, terrified by his driving.
This came to an end at Airport Liquor on TG Lee Boulevard off of Semoran Boulevard in Orlando.
According to an arrest affidavit, the two ran into the store to call 9-1-1. Then, the Lyft driver jumped out of his car, tried to get in the store, and pulled a gun on the clerk.
Channel 9 spoke to that clerk tonight about the tense moments all caught on camera.
“Like everything just went so fast. And then the moment that the gun got pulled out, everything slowed down, like everything felt in like 0.5 speed,” said Jedidiah Torres.
Torres says he feared for his life in that moment.
Video shows a man police identified as Joshua Ortega, trying to get into the Airport Liquor store. The video shows Torres blocking the man and pushing him away from getting in the store.
Seconds later, the man pulled a gun out of his pocket.
“He’s like, oh, do you want to die tonight?,” Torres said.
Torres says this whole situation started when two people ran into the store to call 911 on their Lyft driver.
“They looked distraught,” he said.
According to this arrest affidavit, Ortega canceled the couple’s ride while they were in the car, asking them to pay cash.
The two said they would, but then they noticed he was “driving the wrong way” and “speeding”.
The report says, when they asked him to pull over, he ignored it until they stated they smelled an odor of alcohol and marijuana off of him.
Torres says he later saw Ortega pull into the parking lot.
“He hits the curve, drives into the grass, and then he tries to park his car,” Torres said.
Torres says the man got out of the car, yelling at him that the two owed him money.
“He’s getting up in my face, breath reeks of alcohol,” Torres said.
Torres says he was trying to de-escelate the situation and protect the two who were hiding inside when he saw Ortega pull the gun.
Video shows after a struggle, Torres managed to lock the door.
Ortega then walked in a circle with the gun before leaving the parking lot.
“It was a scary situation,” Torres said
Ortega was later arrested at a Walmart down the road off Semoran Boulevard.
Ortega is now charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He’s being held on no bond until his pretrial hearing Thursday.
We reached out to Lyft for comment but haven’t heard back.
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