Seattle police officer sends Uber driver a selfie to encourage return of lost purse

Feb. 17: A Seattle Uber driver who refused to return a purse left behind by a passenger changed his mind quickly when a police officer sent him a selfie.

Eric Michl of the Seattle Police Department said he was contacted by a woman on Capitol Hill about 2 a.m. Sunday who said she’d left her purse, which contained her wallet and ID, in an Uber car.

The woman said she was visiting Seattle and was scheduled to fly home later that same day, but the Uber driver was refusing to return her items unless she gave him more money.

“So I send him a message to call me or I would track him down and arrest him,” Michl said in a Facebook post. “I even included a selfie. This prompts Mr. Uber to call me right away. Through art of persuasion (threat of arrest, jail, and car being impounded) Mr. Uber saw the light and agreed to return the purse forthwith and without charge.”

The Uber driver claimed he wasn’t trying to extort money from the woman, he just hadn’t returned the purse yet because he was busy with other fares. He was not arrested, but the investigation remains open. UPI.com