Metro Atlanta Uber driver Marcus Lewis is innocent, APD says

A metro Atlanta Uber driver implicated in a viral social media post over the weekend is innocent, the Atlanta Police Department said in a lengthy statement issued Tuesday. It’s not exactly clear what happened to the supposed victim who at first told authorities he’d been beaten up, robbed and thrown into a drainage ditch.

“We have not arrived at the conclusion that a robbery took place,” a statement from the police department said. “We are certain that the Uber driver did not participate in any robbery.”

Marcus Lewis , who has been driving for Uber for about eight months, got summoned to a Buckhead apartment building but no one was there when he arrived.

Courtesy of Mike Jacobs

“I called the number back and got no answer,” Lewis said. “When I got no answer I just canceled the trip.”

He then picked up a new fare and went on about his night. He didn’t give the brief transaction another thought until friends and family members started contacting him, having seen the social media post that included his name and image. A Florida woman, Taylor Cleary Corey, posted an open letter to Uber on her publicly accessible Facebook page on behalf of her brother Bo Cleary, claiming he was ambushed by an Uber driver and another man.

“The two men proceeded to pull over, beat my brother unconscious, take everything he had on him and stuffed his naked body into a sewage drain,” read her post, which was shared about 20,000 times. It included an image of Lewis’ face and his first name.

The Atlanta police statement said Bo Cleary was captured on video walking alone near a creek. “It is noted in the Atlanta Fire Report that upon his rescue, Mr. Cleary stated he had been drinking,” the report said.

Taylor Corey did not respond to a request for comment after the Atlanta Police Department statement was issued and as of Tuesday evening her Facebook post, which had generated more than 140 comments, was still up. Previously she said her brother was recovering and that the family was eager for answers.

“He is scared and just wants to find who did this to him,” she said. “He deserves to know people are trying to help vs. trying to discard his story.”

Corey's public plea for answers was shared about 20,000 times. Her full post inlcuded Marcus Lewis' image and first name. Uber immediately disputed the claim and the Atlanta Police Department's investigation cleared Lewis.

Lewis said he tried messaging Corey as soon as he became aware of her post to let her know he’d had no contact with her brother but did not receive a response. Due to the incident Uber temporarily placed his account on hold, meaning he has been unable to work.

“It’s been miserable,” he said Lewis. “My family’s worried due to the nature that someone’s accusing me of someone, the legal aspect that I could be in some trouble.”

Tuesday evening he was grateful for the statement from Atlanta authorities clearing him.

“I feel great. I feel like a freed man,” he said. “Apparently he didn’t get robbed. Apparently he wandered off into the drainage ditch on his own. I’m just glad the truth is out there now. I feel awesome.”