‘Don’t Kill Me’: Carjacked Amazon Drivers Want Destination Before Taking Gig
A deliveryman shot on Chicago’s South Side says the information would let drivers decide if $30 an hour is worth the risk.
Hunt says “Amazon intentionally leaves off where you’re going because they know if they put up routes for certain neighborhoods, they wouldn’t get picked up.”
Photographer: Taylor GlascockGeorge Hunt took two bullets in a botched carjacking while delivering packages for Amazon.com Inc. in Chicago. Now he’s pushing the e-commerce giant to notify contract drivers in advance about the neighborhoods they’ll be traveling to so they can decide if $30 an hour is worth the risk.
Hunt left his 2015 Volkswagen Jetta running just before 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 to make a delivery on East 87th Place on Chicago’s South Side. While running up to the stoop to drop off a package, he was startled to hear his engine revving. He turned around to see a man emerge from his car and point a gun at him. The gunman popped off several shots as Hunt ducked for cover. One bullet struck him in the shoulder and lodged in his back. Another passed through his left thigh and grazed his right leg. Hunt only realized later it was a carjacking gone awry, and the would-be thief most likely abandoned his car because he didn’t know how to drive a stick shift.