DoorDash Driver Who Was Held at Gunpoint: ‘I Think It Was a Racial Thing’
Written by SOURCE on May 28, 2020
An Arizona man was arrested this week after he allegedly held a black DoorDash driver at gunpoint.
The incident reportedly occurred at around 3 p.m. Sunday outside an apartment building in Mesa. Witnesses told authorities that 32-year-old Valentino Tejada, a resident of the complex, was seen pointing a firearm at 24-year-old Dimitri Mills, who was on the property to deliver food.
“When I exited my vehicle, he had his gun drawn to me,” Mills told CNN. “I knocked on the customer’s door and let her know that her order was outside and that we need help because a guy had pulled a gun out on me.”
Video of the confrontation—taken from two different angles—captured a portion of the tense interaction. In one clip, you can hear a woman telling Tejada that they were making a DoorDash delivery: “We have food!”
Though the video doesn’t show Mills being held at gun point, the police report cites several witnesses who said they “observed the defendant holding a handgun and telling the victim to stop ‘stalking him.'”
Tejada reportedly told police the confrontation began after Mills nearly hit him with his vehicle in the parking lot. He then armed himself with a handgun before questioning Mills.
The DoorDash driver said he repeatedly told Tejada he meant no harm, and urged onlookers to call the police. Officers arrived at the scene shortly after and found Tejada with a firearm with a loaded chamber. According to court documents, the defendant was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct involving weapons.
“We want to get justice in this case and we want to make sure this person is prosecuted to the fullest,” Mills’ attorney, Benjamin Taylor told CNN.
