Emails: Police can’t identify food deliverer accused of sexual assault due to ‘very limited’ information from Uber

ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WSMV) - Colleen Shannon-Pratt’s 2010 Kia Forte is more than just the car she and her husband Mark drove from Colorado to Tennessee to start a new life, it’s where she likes to go to smoke and unwind.

It’s also where she became a sexual assault victim.

On October 27, 2023, Shannon-Pratt was smoking in the car when she saw an Uber Eats driver pull up. Her husband had ordered sushi, and she called out to the driver, offering to save him a trip.

“I said, ‘I’ll take it from you, I’ll save you the steps,’” Shannon-Pratt said.

The 61-year-old said as she took the food and leaned over to place it in the passenger seat, the driver moved into the window.

“When I turned back around, his face was right here. I leaned back, and he just starts kissing and licking me. When I backed up, his hand went down my shirt and grabbed my left breast,” Shannon-Pratt said.

Horrified, Shannon-Pratt yelled at the man. “He pulled his hand out and ran like his pants were on fire back to his car,” Shannon-Pratt said.

When she ran in to tell Mark, they both jumped back in the car, hoping to catch the driver, but he was gone.

After calling 911 and reporting the crime to the police, Mark Pratt texted with Uber, pointing out that he had a photo of the deliverer, as the man’s picture was on an instant message he received from the company to rate the delivery.

On the company’s website, in order to drive for Uber Eats, you have to submit a driver’s license and give your name to have a criminal background check conducted.

“I assume you thought, Uber Eats has the guy’s name. They know his face. They must have his license. Catching this guy would be easy,” asked WSMV4 Investigates.

“Yeah! you would think!” Shannon-Pratt said.

But months passed, and the couple heard nothing about an arrest.

In January 2024, an email came from the detective on the case, writing that the information Uber provided was “very limited” and that they had not been able to identify the attacker based on what the company provided.

The detective went on to write, “Uber does not require their drivers to display an accurate driver name, it is basically whatever the driver chooses.”

When Mark Pratt emailed Uber in frustration, he received a message back, stating that the company understood it was difficult to find a resolution without knowing the outcome of their investigation.

That email from Uber stated that they can’t share further details, but it has been thoroughly reviewed.

“It really raises the question about getting your food delivered. who’s delivering it? And the vetting process that these food companies/delivery drivers need to seriously pay attention to,” Shannon-Pratt said.

WSMV4 Investigates reached out to Uber, asking police to indicate the information the company released was “limited” given that you are required to give your driver’s license.

An Uber spokeswoman wrote back, writing that they understood Shannon-Pratt’s concerns and added, “We banned this courier as soon as it was reported to us and promptly responded to law enforcement’s request for information.”

WSMV4 Investigates then followed up in another email, asking for clarification as to what information Uber had provided about the driver to police, but they have yet to respond.

What Uber did for certain, Shannon-Pratt said, is refund her order.

“We paid for your food. Great,” she said.

Shannon-Pratt is the second woman in the last year’s time to report a sexual assault by an Uber Eats driver in Nashville.

On March 27, police say a woman was assaulted by 43-year-old Sadriddin Azizov after she ordered Uber Eats from Casear’s Italian Pizza.

Police were quickly able to make an arrest, citing that for unknown reasons, the restaurant sent Azizov, its own delivery driver, to bring her the food.

If you have any information you’d like to share with us about this story, please email Jeremy Finley at Jeremy.finley@wsmv.com.

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