Two teens were arrested for robbing an Uber Eats driver at gunpoint.
“The butt of the gun kept hitting my head,” said Ronald Manuel, recovering with staples in his head after he was pistol-whipped then carjacked at the IHOP near 24th Street and Baseline Road.
“The blood was just pouring out of my head,” he said.
It happened on Feb. 5 at about 8 p.m., after he picked up an Uber Eats order to deliver.
“That’s when they pulled a gun on me,” said Manuel.
He says he was confronted by two men and a woman at gunpoint outside the restaurant, demanding the keys to his vehicle. Manuel says they were able to wrestle the keys away from him, jumped in his car and took off.
“I wrestled with them for quite a while,” he said.
Police have since arrested two suspects - 18-year-old Nehemiah Gee and a 13-year-old girl.
They’re still looking for the third suspect.
Police were able to track down his car, but he said it isn’t running like it used to.
People in the community and his wife’s employer are stepping up to help, collecting donations to fix Manuel’s car.
“I just want to thank everybody who has rallied around us,” said Charlotte Manuel, Ronald’s wife.
Manuel has been through a lot. He’s living with Bell’s Palsy after surviving a heart attack and a stroke.
At almost 75 years old, he’s retired, but working for Uber Eats to make some extra money.
“It’s more than we can comprehend at this point, but we just want to thank you for everything and we really appreciate everybody’s kindness,” she said.
After such a traumatic situation, Manuel is relieved to hear about the arrests and just thankful to be alive. He plans to continue working for Uber Eats, but will no longer take delivery orders at night.
To help Ronald Manuel go to his GoFundMe page.