Uber driver allegedly assaults teenager with wheel wrench in Pretoria – LNN

A routine Uber ride in Kilnerpark took a horrific turn when a teenager was brutally assaulted by the driver, who used a wrench to attack him following a dispute over the fare.

According to the teenager, who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear, the attack occurred Tuesday evening at 8:22 p.m.

The teen claims the Uber driver refused to follow the designated route shown on the app to avoid toll fees and chose another route.

“Upon arriving at my destination, I handed over the due fare, but the driver became aggressive, demanding an additional R100.”

He said his friend, a 16-year-old girl, was waiting for him outside on the street where the driver dropped him off, and was with him when the attack happened.

“I didn’t have any extra money and the driver started attacking us.”

He said the driver allegedly grabbed him and pushed him to the ground, stomped on his head and shouted, “I want my money.” Do you want me to kill you?

In an attempt to defuse the situation, the teenager transferred R40, all that was left in his bank account, but the driver claimed he did not receive it.

“I did my best to calm him down; he did this for a few minutes after i told him to give me his details so i could send him money. I started sending him R40, which was all I had left in my bank account, but I’m not sure what happened because it left my account. He said it didn’t show up in his, so he started again, then told me to call someone for money.

“He took the wheel key out of the trunk and I told my friend to run home. The driver started hitting me with the wrench. He also hit my friend and damaged her phone.

The teen tried to distract the driver from the girl’s house, started walking in a different direction and screamed for help.

“I started screaming for help in the houses; the driver fled. I waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone.

A local security company, Kilnerpark Security (KPS), was contacted for assistance and responded quickly.

They took the teenager to the Villieria police station to open a complaint for assault.

Despite reporting the incident to the Villeria police station shortly after the attack, the officers reportedly refused to open a case, ordering the teenager to first see a doctor.

According to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Johan van Dyk, the officers claimed that the teenager appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and that is why they provided the teenager with a form to fill out by the hospital.

Both teens denied the claims, saying they were at home before the incident and had not been drinking.

Kilnerpark Security confirmed they had no knowledge of the teen being under the influence of alcohol, and no such thing was included in the report.

Pretoria Records attempted to get comment from Uber, but they have yet to respond.

Pretoria Records spoke Monday with the Uber driver, who was aggressive and demanded details about the victims. He confirmed that it was the person in the photo and the driver of a red Renault Kwid with the registration number involved in the incident.