Uber Driver Saves Passenger From Sex Trafficking

For most Uber drivers, the worst thing you might have to deal with on any given ride is an unruly passenger who makes a mess of your backseat. For Keith Avila, he ended up getting much more than he bargained for when he realized the three female passengers were involved in prostitution, he acted quickly and got the authorities involved in the terrible situation.

The night started like any other for photographer and part-time Uber driver Avila, arriving at his destination to transport his passengers. Of the three, he noted that one of them looked especially young, somewhere around 12 years old, despite her short skirt and revealing outfit.

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Throughout the course of the ride, Avila overheard a few red flags that piqued his interest, as the three carried out a conversation as if he wasn’t even there. One thing that stood out, he told PEOPLE, was one of the older women shouting at the younger looking one. He recalled, “She was yelling at the girl, ‘You need to get your priorities straight. We need to make this money.’ “

The driver kept to himself, but was unable to begin processing what he was hearing to figure out what was happening in the situation. The clues didn’t immediately point to prostitution, but the intensity of the conversation didn’t sound right.

As the ride progressed, more details of the situation came out, as he remembers, “The woman in the back started coaching the girl. She said, ‘Before you go in, check for weapons. When you hug them and touch them, pat them down.’”

Avila also pointed out that the women were speaking in a sort of code about how the future transaction would play out, noting, “The woman told the girl to get the donation first,” adding, “She said, ‘Ask if they have your donation before you go into the room.’ “

This solidified what Avila had suspected. “I was 100 percent sure I knew what was happening,” Avila he recounted to PEOPLE. “It wasn’t 99.999 percent. It was 100 percent. And I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t know exactly how I was going to do it. I wondered if I should take pictures with my phone.”

After arriving at the hotel destination, Avila was able to overhear details about the room in which the three women were headed to, and as soon as they exited the vehicle, he called the police and described exactly what had transpired.

Authorities arrived and confirmed Avila’s suspicions, as the young girl was only 16 years old. The police arrested Destiny Pettway, 25, and Maria Westley, 31, on charges of pimping and threatening a minor. Disney Vang, 20, was also arrested in the hotel room for soliciting a prostitute and sexual contact with a minor.

The police department commends Avila for his actions and his quick thinking. Elk Grove police Officer Chris Trim said, “He could’ve said nothing. Went on his way, collected his fare. And then that 16-year-old victim could’ve been victimized again by who knows how many different people over the next couple of days, weeks, months.”

Uber has also praised his actions, stating, “We appreciate his quick response and professionalism in a difficult situation.”

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[H/T PEOPLE]