Bradenton Uber Driver’s Carjacked Ride Crashed in Pasco County

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — An early Wednesday morning pursuit of a vehicle reported stolen out of Bradenton ended with a car crashing into trees in the Wilderness Lakes subdivision, and the eventual capture of two people.

The incident that led to the arrest of John Patrick Suggs, 19, and Michelle Widenborg Bager, 27, began to unfold in Bradenton just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Bradenton Police say a 67-year-old Uber driver had just dropped off a fare in the 1900 block of 14th Street West. At that time, a man and woman jumped into the man’s vehicle and asked for a ride a few blocks away.

“This was not a pre-arranged Uber fare,” Bradenton Police wrote in an email to media. It seems the Uber driver, who has not been identified, agreed to take the pair to their destination. When he stopped in the 1900 block of 19th Avenue West, however, the man “dove over the center console and began to choke and hit the victim,” the email said.

The attacker, police say, pushed the Uber driver out of his own car and took off, leaving the victim with cuts and road rash on his face, arms, legs and head. The victim was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital for treatment.

After being alerted about the carjacking, Bradenton Police issued a BOLO for the vehicle.

In the early morning hours Wednesday, Pasco County deputies say they were notified by Bradenton Police that the victim’s cellphone, which was still in the vehicle, was pinging in their jurisdiction.

Deputies spotted the vehicle at the Circle K at U.S. 41 and Hale Road. They tried to make a felony traffic stop, but the driver took off, an email from the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies pursued the vehicle off road near Caliente and eventually the stolen vehicle drove between homes in Wilderness Lakes, hitting a tree,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies were able to detain Bager at that time. Suggs tried to run from the scene, but was eventually captured by Deputy Mark Pini and K9 Yogi, the agency said.

A full list of charges the two face is not yet available. The condition of the Uber driver has not been released.

Photos courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and Bradenton Police Department