INDIANAPOLIS — A 22-minute Uber ride felt like hours for two brothers.
Izayah Gray and Malachi Walker said their dad ordered them an Uber to school in Indianapolis.
According to their receipt, the driver picked them up around 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20. Shortly after that is when 18-year-old Gray said the racially insensitive comments started.
"We got in the car, she asked if we went to school selling drugs. Then, she asked us how many people were in our house, are we bunched up in there, and then she proceeded to ask us about life, like if our parents have any traumas and that our culture likes to have baby mamas and stuff," Gray recalled.
Both Gray and Walker said they felt so uncomfortable by the alleged comments, they began texting each other in the car. But 11 minutes into the ride, it was time for Gray to be dropped off, leaving his 13-year-old brother in the car by himself.
"I felt very anxious, scared. My brother was texting me, asking if I was OK. I was OK, but she was still asking me weird questions," Walker said.
The boys' stepmom, Lauren Walker, said when they texted her what happened, she couldn't believe what she was reading.
In an email to Uber, Walker detailed the boys' account of what happened and also submitted a complaint.
Walker shared Uber’s response that says, in part, "they do not tolerate this kind of behavior and that they take every report from users very seriously."
"It wasn't expected. It caught us off-guard, and we're just trying to move forward, and we actually had a family conversation last night, trying to teach them how to handle issues like that because it may happen again, unfortunately," Walker said.
13News' Chase Houle also reached out to Uber about the claims. A spokesperson wrote back, "We strive to build a platform where every experience is safe, comfortable and positive, and what these riders experienced is deeply upsetting. We make our non-discrimination policy clear to all users, and take any report of this nature seriously. We’re continuing to investigate this, and will take appropriate action.”
And while Uber is doing their investigation, Houle did his and found the teens' driver outside her home.
She was adamant about not wanting be shown on camera, but she told Houle she's aware of the allegations and said they're not true.
As Lauren and the teenagers' mom, Sheriann Gray, go hug their boys, they remind them to be proud, young Black men.
"Be proud that you're Black. You be proud of that, but the reality, walking around, walking these streets, at the end of the day, be careful," Sheriann said.
Houle asked Uber if the woman was still cleared to drive for the service and was told to refer back to their initial statement.