Police unable to identify food delivery driver accused of sexual assault due to ‘very limited’ information from Uber

ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WSMV) – Colleen Shannon-Pratt’s 2010 Kia Forte is more than just the car she and her husband, Mark, drove from Colorado to Tennessee to start a new life, it’s also her favorite car to smoke and relax in.

There she was also the victim of sexual assault.

On October 27, 2023, Shannon-Pratt was smoking in her car when she saw an Uber Eats driver pull up. Her husband had ordered sushi and she yelled at the driver to save him the ride.

“I said, ‘I’ll take it off your hands, I’ll save you the steps,'” Shannon-Pratt said.

The 61-year-old said that as she picked up the food and leaned over to put it on the passenger seat, the driver went to the window.

“When I turned back around, his face was right here. I leaned back and he just started kissing and licking me. When I turned back around, his hand slid under my shirt and grabbed my left breast,” Shannon-Pratt said.

Horrified, Shannon-Pratt screamed at the man. “He pulled his hand out and ran back to his car like his pants were on fire,” Shannon-Pratt said.

When she ran in to tell Mark, they both jumped back into the car, hoping to catch the driver, but he was gone.

After calling 911 and reporting the incident to police, Mark Pratt texted Uber, pointing out that he had a photo of the delivery driver because the man’s picture was on an instant message he received from the company to rate the delivery.

To drive for Uber Eats, you must present a driver’s license and provide your name on the company’s website so that a criminal background check can be conducted.

“I’m guessing you thought Uber Eats had the guy’s name. You know his face. You must have his license. Catching this guy would be easy,” WSMV4 asked Investigates.

“Yes, you might think so!” said Shannon-Pratt.

But months passed and the couple heard nothing about an arrest.

In January 2024, an email arrived from the investigator in charge of the case, writing that the information provided by Uber was “very limited” and that they had not been able to identify the attacker based on the information provided by the company.

The detective continued: “Uber does not require its drivers to display their exact names. Basically, it is up to the driver to decide what he wants.”

When Mark Pratt emailed Uber in frustration, he received a response saying the company understood it was difficult to find a solution without knowing the outcome of the investigation.

In this email, Uber stated that no further details could be disclosed, but that the message had been thoroughly reviewed.

“It really raises the question of who is doing the food delivery. And who is delivering it? And the vetting process that these food companies/delivery drivers need to pay serious attention to,” Shannon-Pratt said.

WSMV4 investigators reached out to Uber and asked police to explain that the information released by the company was “limited” because drivers are required to present their driver’s licenses.

An Uber spokeswoman responded in a letter saying they understood Shannon-Pratt’s concerns and added: “We immediately blocked this courier when it was reported to us and have responded promptly to law enforcement requests for information.”

WSMV4 Investigates then sent another email asking for clarification on what information Uber had provided to police about the driver, but has yet to receive a response.

What Uber definitely did, Shannon-Pratt said, was refund her for the order.

“We paid for your meal. Great,” she said.

Shannon-Pratt is the second woman in the last year to report sexual assault by an Uber Eats driver in Nashville.

On March 27, a woman was attacked by 43-year-old Sadriddin Azizov after ordering food from Casear’s Italian Pizza using Uber Eats, according to police.

The police quickly managed to arrest the woman. For unknown reasons, the restaurant had sent its own delivery driver, Azizov, to bring her the food.

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