Social media users were left stunned after a viral video showed a woman passenger lunging from the back seat and randomly pepper-spraying an Uber driver.
The incident occurred in New York City of the United States of America (USA) when the Uber driver picked up the two women in Midtown, a US media outlet reported.
In the viral video, the accused, identified as Jennifer Guilbeault, and a friend are seen in the backseat of an Uber.
Suddenly, Guilbeault lunges from the backseat and pepper sprays the driver. The viral video shows the driver attempting to escape the vehicle as the woman’s friend is heard yelling at her to stop.
In the viral video, Guilbeault’s friend is heard yelling, “What the f**k did you do?”
Despite her friend’s efforts to stop her, Guilbeault sprays the Uber driver again, however, he eventually manages to flee the car.
Police arrived at the scene and arrested Guilbeault. She was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanour.
Reacting to the viral video, An Uber spokesperson said that the rider’s actions were deplorable.
“Violence is not tolerated, and the rider has been banned from the Uber platform. We will support police in their investigation however we can,” the spokesperson added.
Later, the victim, identified as Shohel Mahmud, alleged that the woman passenger pepper sprayed him because of his skin colour.
“Her friend, she is yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the f–k, what are you doing? What’s going on?’” driver Shohel Mahmud said in an interview with a US media outlet. “Her friend is asking ‘Why did you do that?’ And she says, ‘He’s brown.’”
According to the Uber driver, he picked up the women in Midtown and did not speak to them before the attack.
“They are talking to each other,” he said. “I’m not talking to them, my job is to drive them. I start going straight down the Central Park Traverse, straight down to 65th and Lexington. Suddenly, this girl for no reason spray me with pepper spray.”
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