Uber driver saves 16-year-old, busts up child prostitution ring after overhearing passengers

An Uber driver probably didn't get a tip from two passengers that he helped authorities arrest after overhearing their conversation about sex trafficking.

Keith Avila picked up two women and a 16-year-old girl as part of his Uber driving business in Elk Grove, California. But while he was driving them to their destination, a Holiday Inn, they began discussing very explicitly their own business — child sex trafficking.

Avila said he couldn't just walk away, explaining to KTRK-TV, "it just wasn't an option."

“They started like talking, like saying everything that was going on," he said. "Like what they’re doing, child sex trafficking."

After dropping them off at the hotel, Avila called the police, and the pair was soon arrested with a quick response by local authorities. Destiny Pettway and Maria Westly were arrested and charged with prostitution, while the intended client was arrested for sex with a minor. He was identified as "Disney Vang."

More from the New York Daily News:

Elk Grove Police Officer Chris Trim praised Avila for his actions, saying, “He could’ve said nothing. Went on his way, collected his fare. And then that 16-year-old victim could’ve been victimized again by who knows how many different people over the next couple of days, weeks, months.”

Of the victim, Avila said, "I looked at her in the eyes. She had this face of innocence, and like insecure."