An Uber driver faced a brutal ordeal at the hands of passengers on Sunday while attempting a pickup at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp in Seattle. The 37-year-old driver, a woman, was assaulted and robbed after refusing to transport a group including a toddler for whom she had no car seat available. This violent confrontation left the driver seeking help to make a 911 call from a nearby apartment complex, located on the 9000 block of Seward Park Avenue.
In the harrowing details reported by Seattle Police Department's blog, the attack began over a disagreement that erupted when the driver attempted to cancel the trip. She explained to the passengers that the ride could not proceed without a car seat for the small child. However, a man and three women accompanying the child did not take kindly to this. One of the assailants snatched the driver's phone, provoking a dispute over the return of the device and the passengers' belongings still in the trunk of the car.
The situation escalated quickly when the driver was punched in the head by the male passenger. "The man in the group of passengers reportedly punched the Uber driver in the head and the victim tried to fight back," as detailed in the incident report. The woman, trying to defend herself, was overpowered, knocked to the ground, and hit by all the members of the party she had once aimed to serve.
Amidst the chaos, the driver's car did not remain unscathed; her window was smashed, and in a further act of violence, she was struck with a piece of driftwood by the same man who had delivered the initial blow. "Her car window was smashed and the man also hit her with a piece of driftwood," the police report stated, illustrating the savagery of the assault.
Despite the severity of the attack, the Uber driver refused medical assistance at the scene. Seattle Police are conducting an investigation, although no arrests were announced at the time.
