Lyft driver attacked rabbi in DC, rabbi says

Paola Belloso
·1 min read
4

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a man was attacked by a Lyft driver on Sunday morning.

According to police, the victim, who is a rabbi, ordered a ride through the Lyft app. The suspect picked him up at the corner of Leroy Place and Connecticut Avenue in Northwest.

MPD said there was a verbal argument between the suspect and the victim. The suspect then told the victim to get out of the car.

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According to the police report, the victim got out of the car. The suspect started following him and yelling multiple times, “Why’d you slam my door?”

The suspect then hit the victim in the face. The suspect then went back to his car and the victim soon started following him to stop him from leaving.

This is when the suspect hit the victim again multiple times.

A witness was walking in the area and started recording the incident on her phone. Another witness was nearby watching the altercation unfold.

The suspect then left the scene.

MPD said the incident is still in the early stages of the investigation, but as of Monday afternoon, it was not being classified as a hate/bias incident.

A Lyft spokesperson provided DC News Now with a statement saying:

Lyft unequivocally condemns this behavior. Upon learning of this incident, we deactivated the driver and we’ve been in touch with the rider. We encourage riders and drivers to report harassment, discrimination, or safety concerns in the Lyft app.

Statement from Lyft

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