(UPDATE: The lawsuit reported on here has proved to be a hoax.)
DETROIT, Mich. — A man accused of fatally shooting six people between driving passengers for Uber in Michigan is suing the ride-sharing company for $10 million.
Jason Dalton filed a handwritten complaint Tuesday against Uber, saying he’s “in prison because of Uber,” though he doesn’t mention the shootings directly. Police say Dalton told investigators after the Feb. 20 rampage in Kalamazoo that “a devil figure” on the Uber app was controlling him.
See the lawsuit here.
In his lawsuit, Dalton says Uber “ripped” him off and failed to pay him back wages and overtime.
Dalton is charged with six counts of open murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder and eight counts of felony firearms in connection with the shootings.
Uber’s security chief said last month that until the shootings, the company had no reason to believe anything was amiss with Dalton.
A police report released Monday says Dalton told investigators he was being controlled by Uber through his cellphone.
According to the report, Dalton said "it feels like it is coming from the phone itself and he didn't know how to describe that."
Police say in the report Dalton said "he is not a killer and he knows that he has killed."
An Uber spokesperson gave FOX 17 News this statement:
"It's hard to know how to respond to someone who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. Our hearts go out to the victims' families who have to live with the consequence of his terrible crimes."
A judge has ordered Dalton undergo a mental competency exam with the Center for Forensic Psychiatry before moving the case forward. A preliminary hearing date has been rescheduled for May 10.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
