An Uber driver suffered facial injuries when a passenger assaulted him as he drove through San Francisco early Sunday morning, police said today.
Police said officers responded a short time before 2 a.m. Sunday to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood after the driver, who works for popular transportation network Uber, reported the assault while he sought medical assistance. The man was being treated at the hospital for injuries to his face suffered in the attack, police said.
The victim told the officers that he picked up two males and a female passenger in downtown San Francisco, then headed near Polk and Sutter streets, where a male and a female passenger exited his vehicle after paying their portion of the fare.
The remaining passenger requested to be driven to the area of 18th Avenue and Clement Street in the city’s Richmond District.
Police said the driver complied and was heading to his final destination when the passenger suddenly moved from the rear seat to the front of the car and attacked him, police said.
The driver stopped the car and attempted to get out, but was unable to unfasten his seatbelt before the suspect got out of the vehicle and fled the scene, police said.
Police said the driver’s suspect description matched the description of a person being detained by other police officers at 18th Avenue and Clement Street in a separate incident.
According to police, the victim in the other incident suffered a broken nose as well as other injuries to their face.
Police arrested the suspect for aggravated assault and booked him into San Francisco County Jail.
Officers at the San Francisco Police Department’s Richmond and Park stations today said the suspect’s name was not immediately available.
Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
