Lyft Driver Has Mental Breakdown On Ride, Placed On Psychiatric Hold By Police
WOODLAND (CBS13) — A Woodland woman is speaking out about a Lyft ride that ended with police put her driver in handcuffs. The frightening moments played out as she was on her way to pick up her husband from the hospital.
Christie Gomez had only used Lyft a couple times before that fateful ride, but she instantly knew this ride wasn't right.
"Honestly it's the scariest thing I've ever went through in my life," Gomez said. "The real first sign was once we got on the freeway he literally started crying, but it was crying and then laughing at the same time."
She ordered the ride from her home in Woodland to pick up her husband at the Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento, a 25-mile trip. Her driver began driving erratically and then removed his hands from the wheel, covered his eyes with his hands, and told Gomez to direct him on the road.
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"(He was saying) 'I can't do this anymore. I can't go through like this anymore.'" Gomez said.
Fearing the worst, she reached out to her mom and husband, texting them that she was scared.
Eventually, Gomez convinced the driver to pull over in a Natomas Shopping Center, saying she had to go to the bathroom. As soon as she got out of the car, Gomez ran into a nearby Starbucks.
Sacramento Police arrived and found the driver locked in a gas station bathroom. Officers said he was acting erratically, covering himself in soap and trying to bite him.
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The driver was taken into custody and put on a mental health hold.
Lyft issued a statement Friday saying, "We have deactivated the driver's account as we collect more details and have been in contact with the passenger affected."
Gomez said she thought she'd be safe, now she's saying it was a mistake she won't make again. She also received a full refund from the ride-share app for her trip.