An Osceola County man allegedly spat on his Uber driver before pulling out a gun and firing several shots into his car — all because the driver suggested the man give him a larger tip for making him wait.
The driver told Osceola Sheriff’s deputies that he picked up a man, later identified as Alexis Encarnacion-Rosado, 21, of Kissimmee, near Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park on Jan. 1. The man asked him to stop at a Denny’s restaurant near his final destination so he could get food, causing the driver to wait there for around 20 to 30 minutes, court records show.
After resuming the trip, the driver suggested that the man tip him more because of the detour, causing the man to become “heavily agitated.” The man called the driver vulgar names and spit on the right side of his face, according to Encarnacion-Rosados’ arrest warrant.
The trip was then suspended near the intersection of Greenway Road and Sanchez Drive in Kissimmee, close to the intended final destination, which deputies later identified the home of Encarnacion-Rosado’s mother, the warrant said.
The man angrily got out of the vehicle, a Hyundai Elantra, and began to reach into his backpack, causing the driver to became afraid and begin to drive off. The driver then heard loud pops, according to the warrant, and the man ran off behind some nearby houses.
Deputies arrived at the scene and deployed K-9 and aviation units, but the man wasn’t found. Deputies later found seven bullet holes on the rear and rear driver’s side of the car and bullet casings in front of a house on the corner of the intersection, records show.
Details provided by Uber indicated that the man’s pickup location was Epcot’s back employee parking lot at cast services and his pickup time was following the park’s closure. The warrant said this means there is reason to believe the man worked for or was contracted by Disney, but includes no confirmation of this.
Deputies later discovered the man’s intended destination was the home of Encarnacion-Rosado’s mother.
Encarnacion-Rosado is a convicted felon currently on probation. Probation records list his address as the mother’s home. His phone number listed in probation records is also the same number listed for the man’s Uber account, the warrant shows.
The warrant said the driver was unable to positively identify Encarnacion-Rosado as the suspect out of a photo lineup, but said his photo was the most similar to the suspect out of all the photos.
His is currently in custody at the Osceola County Jail after being arrested on charges of shooting into an occupied vehicle, battery, criminal mischief and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, records show. A judge has set his bond at $21,500. His first court appearance was Jan. 13.