An Uber driver shot and killed a man Tuesday, Polk County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Authorities said the man was following and threatening him on Dundee Road, near Carl Floyd and County Road 550 in unincorporated Polk County, deputies said.
A woman helped the drunken woman into the car, investigators said.
Shortly afterward, the good Samaritan’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Jason Boek, 34, called her and thought she was riding in the Uber, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Boek said, “I’m gonna (expletive) up the Uber driver,” according to Judd.
Deputies said Boek then drove his Ford F250 pickup truck, shined the lights and pulled up behind the Uber that was carrying the drunken woman.
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Download: WFTV free mobile apps
Boek then drove beside the Uber, passes it and then forces the Uber to stop, Judd said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the Uber driver, Robert Westlake, did not know who Boek was. Deputies said Boek jumped out of his truck and said to Westlake, “You know, I got a pistol. You want me to shoot you?”
Boek then pulled out a black cellphone from his waist, prompting Westlake to shoot, hitting Boek in the chest, the Sheriff’s Office said.
%
%%
%
Westlake has a license to carry a concealed weapon and he finished the police academy, Judd said.
Read: More top stories on WFTV.com
Westlake called 911 and tried to “contain the bleeding and give him CPR,” Judd said in a news conference.
“The message is clear. Don’t mess with an Uber driver. Leave the Uber driver alone, because he just may be a certified police officer in waiting,” Judd said. “This is a justifiable homicide all day long. You have the right to protect yourself. This is a classic 'stand your ground case.'”
Boek's criminal history includes previous arrests for aggravated battery, battery, burglary, marijuana possession, forgery, larceny, resisting arrest, and VOP. He was on felony probation for battery, which began in June 2016 and was scheduled to end in June 2021. His driver's license was suspended in May 2018, and the truck he was driving was borrowed from a friend, a news release said.
Deputies said they obtained a search warrant for the truck Boek was driving and found a marijuana cigarette and a glass pipe containing meth residue.
The investigation is ongoing.
Watch Sheriff Grady Judd's news conference below:
Uber driver fatally shoots other driver after being pursued and then threatenedSheriff Grady Judd is briefing the media about a shooting death investigation that occurred during the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 28, 2018, during which an Uber driver fatally shot 34-year-old Jason Boek, after Boek pursued and then threatened him on Dundee Road just east of Overlook Drive in the unincorporated area of Winter Haven. The Uber driver called 9-1-1 after the shooting and rendered aid to Boek. He continues to cooperate with law enforcement. Click here to read the news release: https://bit.ly/2BZVk9P Click here to see dash cam video from the Uber: https://youtu.be/wa73eAc8em4
Posted by Polk County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Cox Media Group
