Lyft driver shot at and beaten in Woodlawn Chicago
Dashcam video shows the moment a gunman opened fire on a Lyft driver and his two passengers during a drive-by shooting in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood last month.
No one was injured by the gunfire, but the driver was later beaten by friends of the passengers when he dropped them off, the video shows.
The incident began at around 2:50am on December 19, when the 52-year-old driver picked up two passengers near the University of Chicago.
Footage shows the two passengers ducking into their seats. As the Lyft driver stops at a red light in the 600 block of East 67th Street, a black SUV pulls up from behind and someone inside opens fire.
“Can you go, can you go, go,” one of the passengers repeatedly screams.
As the driver speeds off, he notifies Lyft’s emergency team through the ride-share’s app, as he’s been trained to do, according the victim’s attorney Bryant Greening said. “Help me. Call police,” he tells a safety agent.
The driver then drops the passengers in the 6500 block of South King Drive, where he is then beaten by the passenger’s friends, the video shows.
Greening said one of the passengers may also have been involved.
The driver escaped and flagged down officers and police confirmed an investigation is undergoing.
Greening said he plans to file a lawsuit against Lyft who he claims left his client to fend for himself. Greening said Lyft never notified police and has not offered support for any injuries to the driver or damage to his car.
The driver, who does not want to be publicly identified, intends to seek compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain, suffering and emotional distress, according to Greening.
“The dash cam footage is Exhibit A on how ride-share companies fail their drivers,” Greening said. “Lyft promised that there were systems in place to protect drivers from violent attacks, but when push came to shove, our client was ducking bullets and taking fists to the face.”
Via FOX 32 Chicago
