Driver Disputes Passenger Version Of San Francisco Uber Ride Gone Wrong; 'I Did Not Touch That Woman'
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A San Francisco Uber driver has disputed a passenger's claim that he forcibly removed her from his car and smashed her smartphone when she tried to record the alleged incident.
Uber X driver Martin Hynek denied the woman's account and said he would fight his citation for misdemeanor battery, mischief and vandalism.
The passenger said Hynek grabbed her by the arm to yank her out of his car after a dispute over the destination address and tossed her phone on the ground as she tried to record the alleged incident.
Hynek insists he never grabbed her arm or threw her phone.
"No. Absolutely not," Hynek told KPIX 5 reporter Joe Vazquez. "I did not touch that woman. I swear on my family, I did not touch her."
Hynek and the alleged victim have both been active commenters on the CBS San Francisco post relating the incident, even as the passenger asked not to be identified.
"Yes that was me [commenting on the website]," the passenger told KPIX 5. "I thought about saying nothing, but I am truly disgusted by his version of what happened and I think him lying about what happened is more telling than anything else. He has zero remorse...that's scary."
Hynek claims she was probably offended that he asked her to get out. "I think her ego got hurt because I asked her to leave the car. For her, it was unacceptable for some reason."
He claim the passengers refusal to give him an address to plug into his GPS made him worried about getting in a wreck. "In my family, someone got killed 8 months ago in traffic accident."
"I'm going to tell the judge what happened," said Hynek. "I hope the case will be dismissed and everything quiet down. I can't afford a lawyer. It's too expensive. I don't have a job now."