Uber Driver Charged with Assault and Battery of Passenger
An Uber driver has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery of a passenger.
District Attorney George Gascon is alleging that 26-year-old Patrick Karajah, a San Francisco driver for the popular ride-sharing service, attacked one of his passengers with a hammer to the head after a heated argument.
The Incident
According to allegations, Karajah picked up two men and a woman from a San Francisco nightclub at around 2:00 a.m. to take them to another destination. But during the trip, the passengers started arguing about the exact route that Karajah was taking. During the argument, Roberto Chicas, told Karajah that he was taking them too far out of the way.
Harry Stern, the attorney representing Chicas, alleges his client and the other passengers were polite about it. “They’re familiar with the city. They want to share the ride, they have certain spots they want to be dropped off and he’s taking them nowhere near that. So they politely complained first, and then their complaints get a little more adamant. To put it in a common way, he freaked out,” Stern said. According to the investigation, Karajah then stopped the car and demanded everyone get out. Authorities then allege that Karajah then hit Chicas on the head, near his eye, with a hammer. Chicas was seriously injured by the blow. And according to Stern, “He is in serious danger of losing the eye …”
Arrested and Charged for Assault and Battery
Karahaj was arrested and charged with: assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury. He pleaded nt guilty to both. He has no criminal background, and is currently free on $125,000 bail.
Ride-sharing Firms Met with Charges
While taxi companies are required to perform background checks, it seems that ride-sharing companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar do not. Recently the Los Angeles district attorney sent letters to these ride-sharing companies, accusing them of being a “a continuing threat to consumers and the public,” due to various violations.
Source: CBS SF Bay, San Francisco Uber Driver Charged With Attacking Passenger With Hammer, September 26, 2014
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