DC Resident Watches Federal Officers Arrest Uber Eats Driver Delivering His Lunch

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the second weekend in a row, food delivery drivers in the District have been arrested by federal officers as part of President Donald Trump’s federalization of policing in Washington. The most recent incident unfolded Saturday afternoon in Shaw, just days after a similar event occurred in Columbia Heights.

Lunch Order Turns Into Arrest Scene

D.C. resident Tyler DeSue said he was waiting for his Uber Eats delivery when he noticed his driver’s location had stalled nearby. Curious, he stepped outside to investigate.

“I step out into the street, and I see where his location is and there are like police lights,” DeSue recalled. “[The driver] was being questioned by like five or six officers, most of which had masks on.”

According to DeSue, officers began by questioning the driver about his license and registration. At one point, an officer acknowledged that the stop had been a mistake.

“One officer was talking on his microphone and admitted, ‘oh we ran your plate wrong. Your registration checks out, your insurance checks out,’ basically saying they pulled him over by mistake,” DeSue said.

Detention Escalates

Despite the acknowledgment, the encounter escalated. DeSue captured cell phone footage showing the driver placed in handcuffs, which were later replaced with ankle, waist, and wrist chains.

The officers reportedly asked the driver questions about when he arrived in the United States and attempted to scan his face.

“The guy was like, ‘do you understand me?’ And the driver said, ‘no. I don’t know what you’re trying to say. I don’t know what’s happening,’” DeSue recalled. “And [the driver] said, ‘can you have someone explain it to me in Arabic? That’s the language I speak.’ And the officer was like, ‘we will not give you a translator until you come with us.’”

Witness Reacts

DeSue, who holds a criminal justice degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s in Homeland Security, said watching the arrest unfold left him shaken.

“At one point, I was getting angry, I was shaking. I was getting mad,” he said. “In my mind, it doesn’t stop here. I think that’s the frustrating part.”

He added that the actions of federal officers in the District conflict with the principles the country was built on.

“It’s supposed to be this place where you can come and have an opportunity,” DeSue said. “What is more beneficial? Throwing someone out of the country and spending all this money, all these resources, and painting this picture that America is not a free place.”

Delivery Drivers Under Scrutiny

The incident comes amid growing concerns over the treatment of delivery workers in D.C. since federal officers were deployed under Trump’s “public safety emergency” order. Critics argue that the crackdown disproportionately targets immigrants and people of color, while supporters insist it is part of restoring law and order.

For DeSue, the experience was enough to change his own habits. He said he plans to stop using food delivery apps until companies can provide assurances that drivers won’t be wrongfully detained.

Key Points

Incident occurred Saturday afternoon in Shaw, following a similar event earlier in Columbia Heights.
Uber Eats driver was stopped, questioned, handcuffed, and eventually chained despite officers admitting the stop was a mistake.
Driver requested an Arabic translator, which was denied until he agreed to go with officers.
Witness Tyler DeSue recorded video of the incident and described feeling outraged and concerned about what’s to come.
The arrests are part of Trump’s federalized policing initiative in D.C.