Video of DC Uber ride shows road rage, crash and street fight
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A D.C. area Uber driver is off the job and a woman is recovering after a ride from hell on Sunday. Video shows a female Uber driver pulling a knife, crashing her car and getting into a brawl with another driver.
Tarika Dawson said she often uses Uber to travel from Southeast to Prince George's County, and on Sunday, she was heading to Forman Mills in Forestville.
Dawson said her driver was annoyed that the driver behind them was following too closely. She was so annoyed that she got out of the car to confront the driver according to video Dawson was posting to Snapchat.
"She got out of the car and went over to the car and was yelling at the lady, opened up the lady's door," said Dawson. "I started to record everything because at this point, I just didn't know what to expect."
She said her driver realized that the woman had a child in her vehicle. In the video, you can hear the driver say, "You got a baby in your backseat, you got lucky."
Dawson then recorded the driver holding a knife next to the steering wheel.
"At this point, I'm kind of scared," said Dawson. "I'm kind of nervous. I don't know what she's going to do. I wanted to get out the car, but I didn't want to get out on Suitland Parkway. I didn't want to stay on Suitland Parkway. So it was just like, 'Please hurry up and get me to my destination.'"
The ride wasn't over yet. Dawson said the two drivers were trying to get around each other and her driver was too close to the other woman's car as she stopped for a red light. Dawson was still recording when her Uber slammed into the back of the other vehicle.
"We hit the back of the lady that was in front of us and she got out the car and said, 'My daughter was in the car,' and started fighting my Uber driver," said Dawson.
Video shows the two women brawling on Marlboro Pike and Forestville Road.
Dawson said the woman in the other car left the scene before police arrived. Prince George's County Police confirm that and tell FOX 5 the crash is now under investigation.
Dawson went to the hospital Monday. She says she wasn't wearing a seat belt and was in a lot of pain.
"I need to get my own car," she said. "I don't want to do Uber no more."
A spokeswoman for Uber said Monday evening, "Violence is not tolerated on the Uber app. This driver's access has been removed pending investigation."
She said Uber will help police with the investigation and that the driver in question had only been driving for the company for a short period of time.