Uber Driver Charged With Felony Assault Following Incident With Beaver Stadium Traffic Cop
An Uber driver will face aggravated assault charges after disobeying post-game traffic patterns and dragging a Penn State police officer about 20 feet alongside the vehicle, according to the Centre Daily Times.
Penn State police filed a criminal complaint after the incident, which says Uber driver Frederick Becker picked up a passenger from the RV lot after the Iowa game around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. He tried to drive southbound on Orchard Road toward campus, but an auxiliary officer told Becker he couldn’t go that direction.
The complaint says Becker then sped away from the officer into Lot 20, where another officer ordered him to stop. Becker drove forward despite these orders, so the officer tried to reach into the driver’s window to turn off the vehicle. At this time, Becker allegedly sped back toward Orchard Road, dragging the officer about 20 feet alongside the vehicle and almost hitting two other auxiliary officers.
Becker was stopped along Fox Hollow Road and taken into custody. Police interviewed him an hour later, when he allegedly admitted to not following directions from the officers. “I did not realize I was dealing with a police officer and did not recognize the officer had authority,” Becker allegedly said.
The officer who was dragged alongside the vehicle was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for injuries to his hip and lower back, according to the Centre Daily Times.
Becker was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person, and disorderly conduct. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 16.
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