A 29-year-old Los Angeles woman claims a Uber driver attacked her after a confrontation, leaving her with a broken jaw.
It allegedly happened in the Hollywood area in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
During the ride, an argument erupted between passenger Krystal Ortiz and the Uber driver, which then turned physical, Ortiz said.
Part of the initial altercation was recorded on cellphone video. In the video, the driver could be heard accusing Ortiz of being “confrontational.”
At one point, the driver stopped the car and demanded that Ortiz get out. When she refused, Ortiz said she was attacked.
Ortiz told KTLA that the driver pulled her out of the car, punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground.
The attack left Ortiz with a broken jaw, scrapes, cuts and bruises, she said.
Her attorney Ernest Algorri said Ortiz was reluctant to get out of the car because the driver pulled over in an unfamiliar area in the middle of the night, miles away from her home.
Ortiz and her attorney were pursuing criminal and civil action against the driver and the ride-sharing service.
Uber told KTLA that it takes reports like this very seriously and has permanently barred the driver from working with the service.
