Lyft responded to the recorded incident in a statement, saying, "This video is horrifying, and we have permanently banned the driver from the Lyft community."
A Los Angeles Lyft driver allegedly dragged a passenger out of his car and onto the street, the woman claims, all because she wouldn't turn her music off.
Still sporting a black eye from the alleged attack, Lyft passenger Alessandria Ward says it was the most terrifying experience of her life during the recent incident. She claims the driver hit her in the face, and video appeared to show him kick her. Good Samaritans came to her aide before witnesses scuffled with the driver and Ward was knocked backwards, her head slamming into the ground.
Besides her black eye, Ward has a sprained ankle and was treated at the hospital for a concussion.
She said she thought the driver was going to kill her, telling Inside Edition, “I was screaming, ‘Help me! Help me!’”
The driver allegedly stopped in the middle of a busy street in Los Angeles and threw her out. Ward says her driver went into a rage because she was playing music on her phone and wouldn't turn it off when he told her to.
“He said, ‘Turn the music off or I will throw you out of the car,’” Ward claimed.
Inside Edition spoke to the good Samaritans who came to Ward's rescue. Adel Barry said he had to stop and help to "restrain the guy basically.” Ryan McKenna helped Ward up off the ground.
A school police officer cited the driver with misdemeanor battery.
Lyft responded to the recorded incident in a statement, saying, "This video is horrifying, and we have permanently banned the driver from the Lyft community. We stand ready to assist the authorities and will continue to help in every way we can."
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