A DoorDash driver literally dodges a bullet while on the job in Tukwila!

Just this year, there have been at least three deadly incidents involving rideshare or delivery drivers across Western Washington.

“I was sittin right here and the shot came in and hit right here where my finger is and I ducked down,” said DoorDash driver Jeffrey LaFontaine.

LaFontaine told KIRO 7 he was sitting off the side of the road in Tukwila On February 5th around 1 a.m. waiting for DoorDash orders to ping in.

He noticed a man walk up to his car and ask for a lighter, which LaFontaine didn’t have. He said the man was holding something in his hand, but didn’t know what it was.

“As soon as he started walking to the front of my car, I knew something wasn’t right,” he said.

LaFontaine felt uneasy, so he decided to drive away. His gut feeling that night may have saved his life.

A bullet shattered his back window and missed him by a few inches. LaFontaine later found a bullet lodged into his dashboard.

“My stomach dropped,” LaFontaine explained. “I got a weird feeling like oh my god, when I realized how close I was to dying that night.”

These types of violent incidents have become all too common for rideshare drivers.

“So far we had about nine incident reports,” said Ahmed Mumin, Executive Director of the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association.

Mumin said they’ve received nine violent incident reports since the start of 2024, not including all three deadly incidents.

“How many hours we are spending on the road, this is going to be inevitable,” he explained.

Rideshare and delivery driver apps are equipped with emergency numbers, but Mumin believes it’s not enough in times of crisis.

“The cars need a panic button to send immediately to law enforcement when something like that happens,” Mumin added. “To have a dash camera which is gonna cover the whole car inside and outside and that also be recorded.”

It’s so drivers, like LaFontaine and several others, don’t have to risk their lives going to work every day.

“It scares me to go out late at night like that because you know, I got a kid and I want to make a living and make money, but I don’t want to die,” said LaFontaine.