Two U.S. college students travelling for spring break were arrested and charged with assault in Copenhagen and held in a Danish prison for 2 weeks following an alleged altercation with an Uber driver.
Owen Ray, a 19-year-old student on the Miami University of Ohio, and his unnamed friend were detained at Copenhagen Airport on April 1 over an alleged dispute with an Uber driver the night before, Ray’s lawyer, Jordan Finfer, told ABC News.
On Monday, the family of Ray said their son and his friend were finally released from jail after being detained for 2 weeks — but Ray’s family claims that Danish authorities took their passports in order that they need to remain in Denmark.
“We’re relieved that Owen has been released from a Danish prison following the unprovoked assault he and his friend suffered by the hands of an Uber driver on March 31,” his parents, Andy Ray and Sara Buchen-Ray, said in a press release to the outlet.
“The facts clarify that Owen is the victim on this case, and we urge Danish officials to permit him to return home to the US immediately.”
Ray’s lawyer claims that Ray and an unnamed friend were in an Uber on March 31 after they realized that they had entered the mistaken address for his or her destination within the app. The motive force allegedly refused to take them anywhere else.
Ray, his friend and the Uber driver all got out of the automobile and that’s when the alleged altercation took place, in response to the lawyer, based on Ray’s account of the events.
Finfer said Ray told him the driving force kicked him within the groin and in response, Ray pushed him away and the driving force fell. Finfer said Ray and his friend then ran away from the driving force.
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The 2 students were later arrested at Copenhagen Airport the day following the alleged altercation while attempting to return home. Local police deemed the pair “flight risks” and claimed they were planning to run from the incident, Finfer said.
A Copenhagen police spokesperson told multiple outlets that the 2 students were charged with common assault.
“They were sentenced to 10 days pre-trial detention. This verdict has since prolonged until April 24,” the spokesperson added.
Ray’s parents said their son and his friend “did nothing to instigate the attack.”
“We urge the Danish authorities to acknowledge Owen’s innocence and release him immediately,” they said. “Our family is heartbroken, and we wish our son home to rejoice Easter with us this week.”
The U.S. State Department said in a press release Monday that it’s aware of the situation and is providing the residents with consular assistance, in response to Chicago-based ABC affiliate WLS.
A spokesperson for the department told NBC News that the residents’ safety is a priority but that no further comment can be given out of respect for his or her privacy.
On Monday, from Denmark, Ray told Good Morning America he and his friend had been free of custody.
“I feel good. I’m glad that the High Court ruled in our favour today and allowed us to be released from the prison,” Ray said. “It feels good to be with my family.”
Recalling the incident on March 31, Ray said he walked “a couple of blocks away” along with his friend and that’s when the Uber driver allegedly drove around in search of them.
“He found us. He then got out of the automobile and commenced yelling at us, pondering he hadn’t been paid for the Uber but in actual fact he had been paid for the Uber,” Ray said. “He then got in our faces and was saying, ‘I’m going to call 10 guys.’ We said, ‘We’ve done nothing mistaken.’ He then began an altercation with us.”
A spokesperson for Uber told Good Morning America that “the driving force reported to Uber that he was assaulted by two riders.”
“We were each just very shocked concerning the indisputable fact that we were being arrested over this incident,” Ray said. “We had done nothing mistaken. We were the victims of an attack.”
Ray described the conditions of the Danish prison he was detained in for 2 weeks.
“There have been two of us in a reasonably small jail cell in bunk beds. We spent 23 hours a day within the cell. We had one hour a day of yard time. We were allowed to make one phone call per week,” Ray said.
Ray added that he isn’t “entirely sure” concerning the current status of his legal case and claimed that the Danish legal system “hasn’t been entirely clear about what’s happening.”
“So far as I do know in the mean time we’re still waiting for either the investigating police to make a decision to not pursue the case or for a trial date to be set,” he added.
Ray and his friend, who desires to remain anonymous, need to report every day to police until their court hearing, which is scheduled for April 24.
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