UPDATE: San Francisco Uber Attack Suspect Arna Kimiai Out On Bail After Surrendering To Police
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Arna Kimiai, one of the women suspected of attacking an Uber driver in San Francisco that was caught on camera last week, has bailed out of jail after turning herself in to authorities.
Kimiai posted bond Monday, attorney Seth Morris and officials with the San Francisco County Sheriff's Office confirmed to KPIX 5. She had turned herself in at the San Francisco women's jail around 7 p.m. Sunday night.
"We coordinated her surrender with Sgt. Tony Santos of SFPD so it could be handled peacefully and expeditiously," Morris said in a statement. "Ms. Kimiai acted appropriately and responsibly when she found out she had a warrant for her arrest, coordinating her peaceful surrender through her legal counsel and the SFPD. We have no further comment at this time."
She was booked on an arrest warrant for charges of robbery, assault and battery, conspiracy, and violation of health and safety code.
Kimiai and 24-year-old Malaysia King have been arrested after a videotaped assault on an Uber driver Subhakar Khadka on March 7.
The incident was captured on in-car video and has since gone viral.
Warning: Disturbing video, explicit language (Source: Subhakar Khadka)
King was in custody Sunday night in Las Vegas where she was arrested while allegedly attempting to use a fake ID to illegally withdraw funds from a bank account.
Las Vegas detectives told CBS affiliate KLAS-TV 8 that King was arrested on March 9 after she was caught, along with male suspect, allegedly attempting to use a fake ID to transfer money at a Bank of America branch.
ALSO READ: Read Malaysia King Las Vegas Charges
Metro Police responded to the Bank of America near Rancho Drive and Charleston Boulevard just after 3 p.m. on March 9. Once at the scene, officers detained a man — later identified as David Lewis — along with King for trying to takeover a bank account with a fake ID.
Workers reportedly notified police after immediately after noticing that the ID and bank card presented by Lewis and King were both fake.
According to the arrest document, Lewis told officers -- "he was coached by King on what to say with bank personnel to complete the transfer."
She faces charges in San Francisco that include assault with a caustic chemical, assault and battery conspiracy and violation of health and safety code.
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KPIX 5 first reported on the story Monday night. In the video, three women are seen in the back seat berating the driver using profanities. At one point, the woman now identified as Kimiai who coughed on the driver also ripped off the facemask he was wearing.
Khadka said he had pulled over to tell the women to wear facemasks and the driver is heard telling the women to get out of his car. The video begins with one woman telling the driver, "F--- the masks!" and then repeatedly coughing at him.
Both Uber and Lyft have banned Kimiai in the aftermath of the incident.
Uber also issued a statement early Thursday evening thanking the police department after the arrests were announced.
"We thank the San Francisco Police Department for their swift action. Uber does not tolerate racism or hate in any form, against any community. When one community is being attacked, we are all being attacked. We are shocked and saddened by the recent increase in anti-Asian hate, particularly when it affects a driver or rider. In this case, we have banned all three riders and have been in contact with Mr. Khadka to offer our support," the Uber statement said.
Kimiai also posted video from her perspective behind Khadka where she claims he tried to get her and her friends to exit his car while on the freeway.
Her Instagram account @keepinupwforeign posted a series of videos that appeared to precede the incident on Sunday, but the account has since been made private.
Kimiai also apparently posted a video on social media in which she expressed some remorse for her actions but continues to rail against and blame the driver for ending her ride and demanding her group leave his vehicle.
In that video, Kimiai threatens to sue Uber and ends the video by saying, "That's why I take Lyft."
While the arrests have been made, SFPD officers said the case remains an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
