Uber driver Keith Avila didn’t think anything special would happen during his routine shift on Monday but the day ended with him being a hero.
The Sacramento, CA driver said he picked up two women and a teen and planned to take them to a nearby Holiday Inn. While in the car, the women started openly discussing their plans to deliver the girl to a “john” and get money from him.
"The worst thing I thought would happen when driving Uber is that I would be getting drunk passengers and I would have to handle them," Avila, 34, who is also a quinceañera photographer, told NBC Latino. "All my life, I thought about people throwing up in the car as the worst scenario."
After dropping the women off at their destination, Avila called the cops.
Elk Grove public information officer Chris Trim told NBC Latino that police immediately detained Destiny Pettway, 25, and Maria Westley, 31, when they arrived at the scene. Police found the teen trafficking victim with Disney Vang, 20, in a hotel room.
Pettaway and Westley were arrested and charged with pimping and pandering, and their bail was set to $500,000. Vang was arrested on suspicions of sexual activity with a minor, and has since been released.
Police say that the 16-year-old victim was discovered to be a runaway that was sent to stay in an "alternative housing situation" until her parents or guardians could be located.