2 Men Suing Lyft After Driver Allegedly Pulled Gun On Them
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A call for a Lyft ride turned terrifying for two men, after the driver allegedly pulled a gun on them.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports that both men are now suing the rideshare company, as well as the woman who picked them up.
Charlie Calvin, one of the passengers, says he hasn't been able to shake those feelings of fear since Sept. 1. That's when Calvin says his Lyft driver, 25-year-old Jaleesa Rance, suddenly pointed a gun in his face, minutes after picking him and another man up outside a bar in Chicago's Boystown neighborhood.
"We go from sitting in the back of the car, to the gun being pointed in my face," Calvin said. "For somebody to react with that level of violence kind of makes me feel nervous -- I'm kind of always on edge."
Bryant Greening, Calvin's attorney, claims the incident happened after Calvin alerted Rance that she'd taken a wrong turn.
"It was at that moment, that the Lyft driver responded by slamming on the breaks, grabbing the gun and pointing it at them," Greening said. "What happened in this situation is that the Lyft driver acted immediately."
Greening would not allow Calvin to give his own first-person account of what exactly happened, citing pending litigation.
Greening says Rance swore at them and used a homophobic slur. He says both men scrambled out of the car, but she followed them, got out of the car, chased them and pulled out her gun again. Calvin and the second victim, John Doe, are suing Lyft and Rance for damages and policy changes.
"The rideshare companies touts the safety of their services, however they do nothing to enforce those rules," Greening said. "The drivers aren't trained, the drivers aren't routinely monitored. And a lot of times passengers are drivers alike don't have any idea how to handle situations like this. We're ultimately looking for a change in policy."
Rance was arrested that night. CBS 2 reached out to her, but has not heard back.
A spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney says she's facing charges of misdemeanor aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon.
A Lyft spokesperson says Rance was deactivated as a driver a short time later. She is schedule to be back in court next week.
