What to Know
- Uber driver Raquel Spohn Wehber, 58, was stabbed to death by a teenage passenger after a ride in San Diego's National City community on July 6, 2021
- The teen -- covered in blood -- ran away from the scene but witnesses led officers to her and she was arrested
- Uber said the ride from the victim had been requested by an adult with an Uber account
An Uber driver who was stabbed to death by a teenage passenger in San Diego's National City community after completing a ride has been identified by police, family members, and Uber.
The National City Police Department said the victim was Raquel Spohn Wehber, 58, of Tijuana, Mexico. Uber told NBC 7 that Spohn Wehber was driving at the time of her killing and was making a dropoff at South Lanoitan Avenue, near 18th Street.
“The senseless and brutal crime that took the life of Raquel Spohn Wehber is heartbreaking and our thoughts are with her family. We stand ready to work with law enforcement on their investigation," an Uber spokesperson told NBC 7.
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Uber said they will be reaching out to Spohn Wehber's family to offer their condolences and support.
The Killing of the Uber Driver
On Tuesday -- at around 3 p.m. -- officers with the National City Police Department were called to South Lanoitan Avenue to investigate a report of an assault. When police arrived, they found Spohn Wehber in the driver's seat of a car suffering from multiple stab wounds.
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Witnesses gave officers a description of a female suspect who had allegedly run away from the scene.
Officers began searching for the suspect and soon, they found a teenager who matched the descriptions from witnesses. The NCPD said the teen "had blood all over her."
She was taken into custody.
Police said the suspect is under 18 years old; she was booked into the San Diego Juvenile Detention Center and is facing one count of murder. Due to her age, her name is not being released by police.
Meanwhile, police found a knife -- the weapon used in the deadly stabbing -- inside the car where Spohn Wehber was found.
Spohn Wehber died at the scene.
The silver Nissan Sedan she had been driving had an Uber sticker on its window. The rideshare company would later confirm the victim was a driver for Uber and had been working at the time of the stabbing.
Uber told NBC 7 the ride from Spohn Wehber was requested by an adult since underage passengers are not allowed to use the rideshare service. The company said the account holder who requested the ride had been banned from the platform.
As of Thursday morning, NCPD detectives said they were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the Uber account used to request the deadly ride.
Police have not released further details about the motive or what led to the deadly stabbing of the Uber driver. It is unknown if the suspect and Spohn Wehber were acquaintances.
Anyone with information on this case can reach out to the NCPD at (619) 336-4411.
Relying on Witnesses
National City police credit witnesses for helping to quickly identify the teenage suspect and leading officers to her. She left a trail of blood that officers followed to a mobile home just a few blocks away, where she was hiding.
Witnesses Christian Warren and his girlfriend Ashley Chavez were watching a movie in their car parked on the street when the scene unfolded just steps behind them.
"Yeah, we were pretty nervous," Warren said. "We were like, 'What's going on?'"
What Chavez saw next was chilling.
"I looked right here in my review mirror and the cop was just pulling the lady out of the car. Her shirt was just full of blood," she said. "I was in shock. I have never seen anything like that."
I was in shock. I have never seen anything like that.
Ashley Chavez, witness
Police said the victim's sedan hit a parked car in front of it and prompted some neighbors to come outside for a look.
They then called the police and the grisly scene unfolded.
An earlier version of this story said police were searching for a male passenger in the car that the stabbing took place. That was incorrect -- Ed.
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