Tarrant County Uber driver held at knife point after driving passenger to Louisiana

A 28-year-old Louisiana man is accused of kidnapping a Tarrant County Uber driver and holding him at knife point last weekend, according to multiple reports.

Richard James Darby Jr., of New Iberia, Louisiana, was arrested Saturday and is being held at the Gregg County (Texas) Jail on charges of aggravated robbery, resisting arrest and unauthorized used of a vehicle, according to jail bookings.

The Uber driver picked up Darby from an address in Bedford and was told to take him to Shreveport, where Darby claimed his family had been killed, according to the Longview News-Journal.

After arriving in Shreveport, Darby apparently told the driver to return to Fort Worth.

Then, Darby held a knife to the driver’s throat and told him to get out of the vehicle. Darby later ditched the vehicle on Interstate 20 in Harrison County, KTBS-TV reported.

He was found soon after shirtless, running between vehicles and flailing his arms. His wallet and identification had been left in the vehicle, according to CBS 19.

The sheriff’s office told the Star-Telegram they didn’t have anyone available to answer questions when contacted by phone on Monday evening.

This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 6:48 PM.