US college students detained in Denmark after alleged Uber driver dispute
Two American college students traveling for spring break were arrested in Copenhagen, charged with assault, and held in a Danish prison for two weeks following an alleged dispute with an Uber driver, Danish police said.
The family of Owen Ray, a 19-year-old studying at Miami University in Ohio, said he and an unnamed friend have been forced to forfeit their passports and remain in the country.
Ray and his friend were visiting Denmark in March when they entered the wrong address for their destination on the Uber app, his family and attorney said.
An altercation allegedly occurred when the driver refused to take them to the alternate destination, and the two students exited the car, they said. They said the driver threatened the boys and assaulted Ray.
'A scuffle ensued, culminating in the boys fleeing due to fear. This is all captured via the Uber's dash cam video, which is now part of the legal proceedings in Denmark,' according to Erin Pelton, a PR manager representing Ray's family.
The two students were detained at Copenhagen airport the next day while trying to return home to the US, she said. Danish police confirmed that two US citizens were charged with common assault.
A Copenhagen police spokesperson told multiple outlets: 'The Copenhagen Police can confirm, that on March 31, two American citizens were arrested in Copenhagen, and on March 31 they were brought before the court charged with common assault.
'They were sentenced to 10 days pre-trial detention. This verdict has since extended until April 24.'
Ray has been released from a Danish prison but authorities will not allow him to return to the US, his family said on Monday. The status of the other student is unclear.
'We are relieved that Owen has been released from a Danish prison following the unprovoked assault he and his friend suffered at the hands of an Uber driver on March 31,' a statement by Ray's parents, Andy Ray and Sara Buchen-Ray, said.
'However, we remain deeply concerned that Danish authorities have confiscated his passport and will not allow him to return to the United States – something we understand is unusual in Danish court proceedings.
'The facts make clear that Owen is the victim in this case, and we urge Danish officials to allow him to return home to the United States without delay.'
The US state department said it is aware of the situation and is providing the citizens with consular assistance. 'The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad,' it said.
A spokesperson for Uber told outlets that the company 'take reports of violence very seriously'. 'Any additional questions about the investigation should be directed to the Danish police,' the statement added.
The arrests took place amid heightened political tensions between Denmark and the US over ownership of Greenland. Relations between the two traditionally close Nato allies have soured since Donald Trump's repeated threats to acquire Greenland, a resource-rich, semi-autonomous Danish territory.
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