Uber driver cites immigration fears as reason for fleeing accident scene

By Joe Johnson

A 31-year-old man recently fled from the scene of a vehicle collision in downtown Athens because he was frightened due to being an immigrant.

The incident happened early the morning of July 20th at an intersection in downtown Athens.

A University of Georgia student told police he was driving on East Broad Street at about 1 a.m. when a car struck his pickup truck as he was turning onto North Thomas Street.

The car left the scene and the student went home to his apartment. He later explained that he didn’t immediately call the police because he was unsure of what to do.

After the student reported the incident at 10:22 a.m., police went searching for the car, which they identified from a license plate reader camera.

The damaged Honda Accord was located in the parking lot of a Scandia Circle apartment complex, under a car cover,

The registered owner, 31-year-old Felipe Lopez, admitted that he was using the Honda as an Uber driver at the time of the accident.

“When asked, he stated that he did not stay on scene because he was scared due to all the immigration issues that are going on now,” according to the police report.

Lopez was not arrested because of the long delay in reporting it to police, the report indicates, and was issued citations for hit and run, running a red light, and failure to maintain lane.