An Uber driver was attacked by a female passenger during a ride.
Driver Michael Hassey Jr., 22, suffered bite wounds and scratches to his neck when a 55-year-old woman named Michele Stilwell allegedly strangled him from behind during a ride in Florida, US, on Saturday night, April 17.
He was left with a bloodied bite mark on the back of his neck after the incident.
Michael said the woman was asleep for most of the journey and when she woke up, she began to attack him while yelling “my daughter, my daughter”.
Michael said he tried to pacify the woman, repeatedly saying: “I can’t breathe. I’m just your Uber driver.”
When he managed to pull over, Stilwell allegedly crawled over to the driver’s seat and sank her teeth into Michael’s neck.
She was said to “continue to bite, strangle and claw” at him until passers-by stepped in and pulled him out of the vehicle.
Narrating the incident, Michael said: “She sinks into my neck like a pit bull, shaking her head and stuff.
“I’ve never been that scared in my whole entire life, I thought I was going to die.”
Stilwell was arrested by police at around 9pm and was later charged with aggravated battery for the assault in the city of St. Petersburg.
Police officers believed Stilwell was intoxicated, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
She was also charged with tampering with a witness and was released on a combined $15,000 (£10,785) bond for the two charges at 2:30am on Sunday.
A spokeswoman for Uber told Daily Star: “What’s been described is disturbing.
“Violence of any kind is not tolerated on the Uber app, and we immediately removed the rider’s access as soon as this was reported to us.”
She added that the incident is a “clear violation of our community guidelines” and that the company will work with law enforcement to help with their investigation.
Olalekan Ajimoti – Blogger, Content Writer, and Digital Marketer helping brands and retailers build 8-figure e-commerce since 2016.
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