Lyft driver’s late-night ride turns dangerous as he chases down hit-and-run suspect

PHOENIX (AZFamily/Gray News) - While waiting on a customer, a Lyft driver witnessed a hit-and-run and immediately took off in hot pursuit of the suspect who he alleges hit the victim three times.

Octave Gwin, a Lyft driver, was waiting on a passenger around 1 a.m. Friday in Phoenix when he says something caught his eye.

“I’ve been doing FedEx and UPS, driving forever. So, I literally can see accidents before they happen, and I seen it unfolding,” Gwin said.

He says a man and his friend were crossing the street when a driver ran a red light.

“Literally, when the guy ran the red light, he hit him, his buddy. Didn’t even stop,” Gwin said.

He says the driver then turned around and hit the victim two more times.

“Because when he hit him, he was in the air. Then, he hit him again. The guy rode up the side of his car. Then, he came out the parking lot and ran over his arm. That’s when I... took off after him,” Gwin said.

Lyft driver chases suspect for miles

Adrenaline kicked in, and Gwin says he left his passenger behind to chase after the suspect for miles.

“Everyone around said, ‘Go get him.’ And I took off to go get him. It was kind of like ‘Grand Theft Auto,’” Gwin said. “It was really dangerous, and I actually shouldn’t have done it after talking to 911 dispatch and the police.”

He says at one point, the driver got away, but he was able to follow a trail of destruction the suspect left behind.

“He hit a sign. He hit a tree. And then, at the point I seen the smoke and stuff like that, that’s when he backed out the apartment complex and went through the other gate,” Gwin said.

Phoenix Police took the suspect into custody with a SWAT team. They say it’s likely the driver was impaired.

Meanwhile, the victim is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

“Everyone is somebody, and no one should be left like that. That’s just pretty much why I did it, just because I have a lot of empathy and I just love people,” Gwin said.

He said he posted about the situation on social media and was able to learn more about the victim. His hope is to be able to meet him.

Police have not released the suspect’s identity or possible charges.