Group with child beats and robs rideshare driver after she cancels ride, WA cops say
CORRECTION: The rideshare driver was initially described by the Seattle Police Department as an Uber driver. An Uber spokesperson told McClatchy News their platform was not involved in the incident.
When McClatchy News reached out to Lyft, a company spokesperson said “safety is fundamental to Lyft.”
The corrected story is below.
A rideshare driver was attacked and robbed by a group of people with a toddler after she canceled a ride in Washington, police said.
The 37-year-old was picking up passengers April 2 from the Atlantic City Boat Ramp, the Seattle Police Department said in a news release.
A man, three women and a toddler got in the vehicle, and she told the group she couldn’t drive them because they didn’t have a car seat for the child, police said.
One of the passengers grabbed the driver’s phone as she tried to cancel the ride, police said.
When everyone left the vehicle, she locked the doors and asked for her phone back, police said. The group accused her of “theft” because their things were in the trunk, police said.
Then the man punched her in the head, police said, and as she tried to fight back, she was knocked to the ground. All of the passengers struck her, police said.
The man also hit her in the head with a piece of driftwood, and her vehicle’s window was smashed, police said.
Some of the driver’s belongings were stolen, police said, and she last saw the group running through the park.
The injured driver asked for help at a nearby apartment and was able to call 911, police said.
Anyone with information can contact the department’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
“The behavior described is unacceptable and has no place in our community,” a Lyft spokesperson told McClatchy News on April 4. “We have contacted the driver to offer our support, permanently removed the rider account from the Lyft platform, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2024 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Group with child beats and robs rideshare driver after she cancels ride, WA cops say."
