Passengers Attack Ride-Share Driver, Causing SUV To Hit Vacant Home
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Several passengers pummeled a ride-share driver as he was dropping them off overnight, causing him to crash into a home in the Brainerd neighborhood.
Police said the 51-year-old driver picked up five passengers in the 1400 block of West 93rd Street late Sunday night, and drove them around for at least three hours.
As he was dropping them off near where he picked them up, two of the passengers started hitting him in the face, according to police. The driver accidentally stepped on the accelerator, and crashed into a home at 93rd and Laflin.
The driver and one of the passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. That passenger was taken into police custody.
The SUV appeared to have severely damaged mason work on the home, and to have caused the roof to separate from a support beam.
"It's luckily that they missed that gas meter, because if they had've hit it, maybe the whole building might've exploded, you know? It's bad enough," neighbor Sylvester Hendricks said. "I'm just thankful and blessed it did not explode."
No one was inside the home at the time. It was vacant because it has been put up for sale.
Investigators were waiting for a building inspector to check the home for damage.
Representatives for Lyft and Uber could not immediately confirm whether the driver was working for them when he picked up the passengers.