Passenger punches, spits at Lyft driver after he asks her to wear a face mask

A California Lyft rider became irate after her driver requested that she wear a face mask. The anger intensified during the ride-sharing drive and the testy situation escalated to the point the rider attacked the Lyft driver and even spat at him.

Lyft driver Pedro Cubias picked up a passenger earlier this month in Los Angeles. Tensions rose once the driver asked the passenger to wear a face mask. Since June 10, the ride-sharing company's official policy has required riders and drivers to wear face coverings.

"He said he took her to the destination that it said on the app," Stephanie Cubias, the driver's wife, told KCAL-TV. "She was already mad because of the mask, so she got more mad because apparently the location he took her wasn't the one that she had requested, but when he looked at the app, that was the location."

Once the rider became belligerent because she was asked to wear a mask, Cubias turned on a camera inside the car to record the passenger's actions. The passenger, who was picked up in Torrance, was beyond mad once she was brought to the alleged wrong location.

She physically attacked the driver multiple times. Video shows the woman punch Cubias in his face twice and smack him when he retrieved a charger from the back seat.

When Cubias asks the woman to vacate his vehicle, she spits in his direction.

"Hopefully she wasn't positive and he doesn't come out positive as well as other health conditions," his wife said of the possibility of the woman having COVID-19.

Stephanie Cubias said her husband is "having problems with his eye" and has headaches after being punched by the passenger.

On Thursday, Lyft issued a statement on the violent incident:

Safety is fundamental to Lyft. The behavior shown in the video is unacceptable and has no place on the Lyft platform. Upon learning of the incident, we removed the rider from the Lyft community. We have been in touch with the driver to offer support and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation.

The Torrance Police Department is investigating the incident.

Passenger Punches, Spits At Lyft Driver After Being Asked To Wear Face Maskwww.youtube.com