Court documents reveal suspect in attempted abduction was an Uber driver

UPDATE 4:15 pm: Uber released a statement to ABC 17 News that it has fired Anthony Rowell. He was not actively in the app during the night of the alleged incident, according to the company. Uber said it has been in contact with the Columbia Police Department and have provided officers information that could be helpful for the investigation.

ABC 17 News met with a Cavalo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu self defense guru Zach Lenon to learn about how one can stay in the time of an attack.

It is vital to stay alert to your surroundings at all time, whether you are running errands or on the job. Lenon said, “identifying threats before they become a threat.”

It is also important to take self defense classes, so one can learn to be in high risk situations in the classroom. Muscle memory is key. There is no time to think about what to do, you have to know what to do.

Lenon also explained that focusing on getting away and creating distance is crucial rather than trying to hit the attacker. It is important to be in the base of yourself, which will allow yourself to create more weight and force in your escape. At a minium, the victim should be loud and vocal to draw attention to the situation to frighten the attacker.

ORIGINAL STORY: Court documents revealed the suspect in the attempted abduction on Greenwood Drive was an Uber driver.

ABC 17 previously reported that Anthony Rowell was charged with second degree kidnapping after a woman claimed he tried abducting her on Thursday night.

According to the probable cause statement, the woman was listening to music with her earbuds in when a gold or silver Honda Odyssey van pulled up next to her.

The driver of the van, Rowell, was accused of grabbing the victim by her hair and pulling the top half of the woman’s body into the car.

The woman told police she was able to escape by yelling and thrashing her body. She sustained injuries to her arms, legs and hands, along with a significant amount of her hair pulled out by the suspect.

Rowell was later identified as the suspect by the victim and was arrested.

The probable cause statement says, “Rowell’s current employer is Uber, which allows Rowell the opportunity to be alone in a vehicle with females and places those females in substantial risk.”