Police: 16-year-old shot by Uber driver outside Dunwoody Waffle House
Dunwoody Waffle House Uber teen shooting
A 38-year-old Uber driver was arrested after a 16-year-old girl was shot outside a Waffle House early Sunday, according to the Dunwoody Police Department.
DUNWOODY, Ga. - A 38-year-old Uber driver was arrested after a 16-year-old girl was shot outside a Waffle House early Sunday, according to the Dunwoody Police Department.
What we know:
Officers responded around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 5 to the restaurant in the 4500 block of Chamblee Dunwoody Road and found the teen with a gunshot wound, police said. She was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she was in critical but stable condition as of the department’s release.
Meredith Grundy
Investigators said five juvenile females had ordered a ride from the location. The driver told them he could take only four because his vehicle did not have enough room or seat belts. An argument followed over the refusal and who should cancel the ride. Police said one of the teens threatened to kill the driver and struck him in the face while he was seated in the car. The driver then fired a gun, hitting the girl who allegedly assaulted him, according to the initial investigation.
Other teens at the scene told officers the threat and assault did not occur before the shooting, police said.
The driver, identified as Meredith Grundy, 38, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The investigation remains active.
What they're saying:
"No matter how you look at this incident from his perspective or the girl's perspective it's not good no matter what," said Sgt. Michael Cheek with the Dunwoody Police Department. "He explains to them, ‘Hey, I can't take all of you, I can only take some of you,’ which ensued an argument and a disagreement."
"It escalated to him telling them to get out of the car and an argument of who should not cancel the ride within the app."
Police are investigating the shooting of a 16-year-old girl at the Waffle House in the 4500 block of Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody on Oct. 5, 2025. (FOX 5)
Police say this is not a case of self-defense.
"Let's go to the self-defense code section in Georgia...which states the following that you can use deadly force i.e. a gun to defend yourself or others so that's number one and number two against death or great bodily harm or to prevent the commission of a forceable felony...and when you take that code section and look at the totality of what happened from the interviews of all parties involved that and this do not match," he said.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not said whether surveillance footage captured the confrontation or what evidence supports their finding that the shooting was not self-defense.
It’s also unclear if Uber has released a statement or whether Grundy was actively working for the company at the time.
Police are investigating the shooting of a 16-year-old girl at the Waffle House in the 4500 block of Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody on Oct. 5, 2025. (FOX 5)
Police have not said whether any of the teens involved could face charges or if additional witnesses have come forward.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Darryl Moses at darryl.moses@dunwoodyga.gov.