HOUSTON — The HPD robbery division is trying to identify the men who held up a rideshare driver and tried to steal his car in southwest Houston.
The victim picked up the two guys from a restaurant in the 7600 block of Westheimer on Oct. 18. One of them identified himself as "MJ" in the rideshare app.
When they got in his vehicle, they changed their dropoff location to an apartment complex at 2929 Dunvale. That's where things went south.
A camera in the vehicle shows both men pointing guns at the driver and repeatedly ordering him to get out of the car.
"I'm gonna kill you, Get the f--- outta the car, get the f--- outta the car!" the second man shouted.
The first guy got out and opened the driver's side door and grabbed the driver's cellphone. During the struggle, he fell to the ground.
The driver then hit the gas with the second man still in the car pointing a gun at his head and shouting.
"He was very bold, very aggressive," HPD Robbery Detective Jharyde Nickerson said.
The victim refused to stop, laid on the horn and the robber finally gave up and jumped out of the moving vehicle.
The victim drove away and called police.
Police tried to ID "MJ" through the rideshare company's records.
"In a perfect world, it would be able to give me the name, phone number any another subscriber data that would be used on that specific account, whoever MJ was," Jharyde said.
The men are believed to be around 20 years old. Police said both guys are about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh around 140 pounds with a skinny build.
A $5,000 reward is offered for tips that lead to the charging and/or arrest of the suspects. Tipsters must contact Crime Stoppers directly at 713-222-TIPS (8477) to be considered for a cash payment. You can also submit tips online or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.
While this victim got away, police warn against struggling with an armed robber.
"Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident but again i would double down: No car or possession is worth it," Jharyde said.