Robert Allen

Detroit Free Press

More than an hour before the first of three shootings that left six dead and two injured Feb. 20 in Kalamazoo, an Uber passenger called 911 and was transferred among three dispatch lines as he tried to report a collision.

Uber driver Jason Dalton, 45, was arrested early Feb. 21 and charged with six counts of murder and 10 other felonies in connection with the killings. Authorities said he's confessed, and investigative documents indicate he said the Uber ride-sharing app caused him to kill people through mind-control.

The rider's 911 call was received at about 4:28 p.m. Feb. 20, and afterward, a be-on-the-lookout alert was issued to officers, said Sarah Clark with the Kalamazoo Public Safety dispatch center. She said the call was transferred from Kalamazoo County dispatch to Kalamazoo Township dispatch first because the location described was in the township; the caller was transferred a second time to city dispatch because of where the collision occurred.

The first of three shootings was reported at about 5:40 p.m., after which a police officer called the rider back to follow up with him. The city redacted the name of the caller, and Chief Jeffrey Hadley didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Friday or Monday.

Here is the transcript of the 911 call:

First dispatcher, Kalamazoo County

Dispatcher one: County emergency.

Caller: Hi, I'd like to report a crazy driver. I just got an Uber to my friend's house, and on the way there, he was driving erratic down West Main. He hit a car, he drove through the woods, and I finally just jumped out.

D: Where is this at? Where are you at?

C: I'm on Huron street off Nichols

D: OK

C: I got his license plate number when I jumped out of the car

D: Where did you jump out of the car at?

C: No. I mean, he stopped. Cause I was like, 'This is my destination. This is my destination.' So I got out of the car. And it was like a block from where my actual destination was, right. I had to get out of the car cause I was scared. He was driving 50, 60 miles an hour. He hit a car. He drove through-- he drove through the median, and it was crazy.

D: OK, and this happened on West Main?

C: Yeah, yeah

D: Drove through what median?

C: Well, when we tried to go right onto Nichols, you know how it kind of, there's that yield sign, there's that big patch of grass. He drove through that.

D: OK just second let me get you the right place. OK? Stay on the line.

(tones; Dispatcher one: "Nichols area")

Second dispatcher, Kalamazoo Township

Dispatcher 2: 911, where is your emergency?

Caller: Hi, I would like to report an erratic driver. Erratic driver.

D: Where at?

C: Um, well. I just got out of the car. I ordered an Uber and um, I was in the car with him and then he was, like, driving extremely fast. He hit a car, and then I got out. He dropped me off a block from my destination. He wouldn't pull over and let me out.

D: Where did he hit the car at, sir?

C: On West Main hill. Like, right by the Henderson castle. He blew the stop sign, went left and, uh, sideswiped a car and then kept driving.

D: OK, I need to transfer you one more time. I'm going to transfer you to the city, because that's where the accident actually occurred, so hang on one second.

C: OK

(tones; Dispatcher 2: "Erratic Uber driver, he was just riding with him and they sideswiped a car right by Henderson Castle.")



Dispatcher 3, city of Kalamazoo

Dispatcher 3: 911

Caller: Hi. I'd like to report an erratic driver.

D: Where?

C: I was just in the car with him. He was my Uber driver. He was weaving in and out of lanes. He sideswiped a car at west main hill . Um he was driving through the median. He was driving like 75 miles an hour down west main. I got his license plate number when I jumped out of the car.

D: What's the plate, please?

C: (redacted)

D: OK what kind of car is it?

C: It was like a Chevy Equinox

D: What color?

C: Uh, Silver. He had a dog in the back seat. He was, he was my Uber driver. Like I, I had to get a ride back to pick up my car from last night.

D: mmhmm

C: And on my way to my friend's house, like, it started off normal, and then all the sudden he just started driving super crazy, blowing stop signs

D: OK. Did you want to talk to an officer, sir, or you just want me to put an alert out over the radio?

C: I just wanted to report it, cause I don't want someone to get hurt. I, I saw--

D: I understand what you're saying, but I need to know if you want to talk to an officer, or if you want me to have an officer-- just have the officers just be on the look-out for it.

C: I just want to be on the look out and--

D: OK, thank you

C: Report to Uber, because I don't think he needs to be picking people up.

D: OK, you're going to have to do that sir, not us.

C: All right. I can do that.

D: Thank you

(end)

Police say the first shooting occurred after the caller's exchange with the city of Kalamazoo dispatch.

After the first shooting, the police officer later followed up with the caller, who said the car that was hit was a Ford Taurus. He said the Uber driver's name was Jason, according to Uber, and the caller said he'd text the officer an image from Uber's confirmation email that contained the driver's face photo.

The caller asked whether they'd caught him, and the officer said they were checking to see if he was involved in another incident. The caller said he was hoping to help.

"No one needs to be riding with this crazy man, and he doesn't need to be on the road," he told the officer. "He's going to kill someone.

Contact Robert Allen @rallenMI or rallen@freepress.com.