73-year-old asking Uber driver not to text and drive is yanked from car, Texas cops say
A 73-year-old Uber rider was yanked from the car after asking her driver to stop texting and driving, Texas authorities say.
Harris County Constable Mark Herman says the female passenger reported that her driver almost hit another vehicle because she was texting and driving on Monday, Feb. 14.
The passenger says she asked her driver to stop texting, according to a Facebook post from Harris County Constable Precinct 4.
That’s when the driver “became irate” and pulled into a parking lot near the 27230 block of the Northwest Freeway outside of Houston, Herman said.
The driver stepped out of the vehicle and demanded the passenger get out, too, officials said.
“She grabbed the victim’s purse and threw it and then grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out,” according to the Facebook post. “The victim attempted to dial 911 but the suspect then snatched the phone and threw it on the ground before fleeing the scene.”
Video surveillance “captured the incident,” authorities say, and a witness reported the assault — and the vehicle’s license plate number — to law enforcement.
Authorities learned the Uber driver’s vehicle is connected to an aggravated assault case with the Baytown Police Department. The suspect in the aggravated assault has been identified as the Uber driver in this incident.
She now faces charges for injury to an elderly person and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.
“The conduct described is completely unacceptable,” a Uber spokesperson told McClatchy News. “Violence of any kind is not tolerated on the Uber platform. We removed this driver’s access to the app and stand ready to assist law enforcement in their investigation.”
The ride-sharing app says safety is one of its top priorities, and it offers several safety features for both riders and drivers. Those features include an emergency button and a “RideCheck” that makes sure users are OK during possible crashes or longer than usual stops.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 4:31 PM with the headline "73-year-old asking Uber driver not to text and drive is yanked from car, Texas cops say."