Police are crediting an Uber driver with helping rescue a 16-year-old girl from alleged child sex traffickers in Elk Grove, outside Sacramento.
The driver, Keith Avila, gave a ride to the alleged teen victim and two suspect older female pimps on Monday night. He figured out something might be wrong shortly after picking them up in Sacramento, KTLA sister station KTXL reported.
“They started like talking, … saying everything that was going on. Like, what they’re doing, child sex trafficking,” Avila said.
Avila took the women and the teen to a Holiday Inn in Elk Grove, where the two women allegedly pimped the girl out to a man for sex.
Minutes after dropping them off at the hotel, Avila called the Elk Grove Police Department for help.
“Police arrived fast. They don’t play. They do not play. Not when you’re doing child sex trafficking,” he said in a video he recorded.
Police arrested the two women, Destiny Pettway and Maria Westly, on suspicion of various charges relating to pimping and pandering.
The suspected John, identified as Disney Vang, was arrested on suspicion of sex with a minor.
“I can’t just drive away. I mean, of course not. That’s not even an option,” Avila said.
Avila said it was the conversation between the adult women and the girl who tipped him off to the alleged crime that was about to occur.
One of the women told the teen how to greet her John, according to Avila: “You’re going to hug them, you’re going pat them down, make sure they don’t have no weapons. You ask him, ‘Do you have any weapons?’ And then ask for the donations. Say, ‘Do you have my donation?’ Get the donation first. And then before you go in and do anything, get the donation first.”
The victim was obviously just a kid, Avila said.
“I looked at her in the eyes. She had this face of innocence, and, like, insecure,” he said.
Police are grateful to Avila for getting involved, KTXL reported.
“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 coming days, weeks, months,” Elk Grove police Officer Chris Trim said.
