Two women facing charges for allegedly harassing Uber driver in mask dispute



[ad_1]

But to make his dream come true, he became an Uber driver and had to deal with tough situations, he told CNN.

Khadka, 32, recently shared a 42-second dashcam video of a confrontation with three customers inside her car. He said the dispute started over the refusal of women to wear face masks.

San Francisco police identified two of the three women in the car as Arna Kimiai, 24, and Malaysia King, 24.

King has been identified as the woman in the red outfit seen on the far left of the video, while Kimiai has been identified as the woman on the far right, directly behind Khadka in the video, news officer Adam Lobsinger from San Francisco. Police Department, told CNN.

In the video, the woman identified as Kimiai takes off her face mask, rips Khadka’s face mask from her face, coughs in her direction and attempts to take her cell phone away. Meanwhile, the woman identified as King, seen with her mask under her face, announces that she has the coronavirus.

Officers from the Las Vegas Police Department apprehended King Thursday on charges of assault with a caustic chemical, assault and battery, conspiracy and violation of the health and safety code, according to a statement from the San Francisco Police Department.

Kimiai “remains in abeyance for the moment, but communicated through his legal adviser late in the afternoon to the San Francisco Police Department of his intention to surrender soon,” the press release said Thursday. police.

The SFPD said the charges against Kimiai would be made public when she was taken into custody or surrendered herself.

CNN has made repeated efforts to contact King and Kimiai for comment and have not received a response. CNN also tried to reach Kimiai’s lawyer. It is not known if King has a lawyer at this time.

The suspects fled the scene

Khadka says he picked up the three women in San Francisco on Sunday, March 7 at around 12:45 p.m. He soon noticed that one of the passengers was not wearing a mask, so he stopped the ride a few minutes later, according to the ‘Officer Robert Rueca. of the SFPD. Khadka told CNN he stopped the car to allow the maskless passenger to enter a gas station and purchase a mask, which she did.

But Khadka said that by this time he was tired of the passenger’s mocking behavior. When the woman returned to the car from the gas station, he told the passengers he was finishing the ride – that he was going home. This announcement, he said, made the passengers even angrier.

In the video, the woman identified as Kimiai can be seen sitting directly behind Khadka, tearing off her mask and coughing in her direction.

“F *** the mask,” she said. Meanwhile, the woman in the red outfit, identified as King, can be heard saying, “And I have a crown”, while pulling her mask up to her chin.

Immediately afterwards, the woman behind Khadka reaches the front seat of the car and attempts to grab Khadka’s cell phone.

Khadka is able to retrieve it and says, “Do not touch my property.”

In a statement to CNN, Uber said: “In this case, we have banned the three runners and have been in contact with Mr. Khadka to offer our support.”

In May, Uber began asking drivers to take selfies in the app to verify they were wearing a face mask or face mask before picking up passengers.

Passengers are also required to confirm that they are wearing a mask or face shield before hailing a car. But there is no selfie requirement for passengers or drivers alike. Uber relies on drivers and passengers to hold each other accountable.

Disputes over the masks have resulted in fierce clashes throughout the pandemic.
“Violent crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, and it’s disgusting how people think it’s okay to treat another person like that,” Khadka said. “I have so many friends who have worked in convenience stores, gas stations, in this customer service company and most of them tell me the same stories.”
The history of the attacks on Asian Americans is complicated.  Address it will also be

“I believe the way I sound, the way I look, plays a major role here,” he said.

In the video, the woman identified as Kimiai can be seen removing her face mask, tearing one of the strings that hold the mask in place, making it unbearable.

“Now you are going to get beaten up,” said the woman identified as King.

The clash lasted about 15 minutes, according to Khadka.

What happened before or after the 42-second clip is unclear. Khadka said his dashcam only recorded when his car was running, and that there were times that were not recorded because he was parked and refused to drive until all the women were masked. The clip is only part of the video that Khadka gave to the SFPD.

Children's theme park employee punched in the face for enforcing park mask policy

Eventually, the women left Khadka’s car, he said. But one person “reached an open window and sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray into the vehicle and towards the driver,” according to Constable Rueca. It’s unclear who did this and this moment is not captured in the 42-second video clip.

The suspects fled the scene, according to a police report, and even though an arrest was made, the SFPD said it was still investigating the incident.

“We are happy to hear that Ms Kimiai intends to do the right thing and go to the nearest police station, and we hope that will happen soon,” Lt. Tracy said. McCray in a police statement. “The behavior captured on video during this incident showed a ruthless disregard for the safety and well-being of an essential service worker amid a deadly pandemic. We take this conduct very seriously in San Francisco and are committed to ensuring that justice is done in this case. ”

‘We need justice’

After the confrontation, Khadka contacted Uber to report the incident.

“The behavior seen in the video is appalling,” said a spokesperson for Uber. “As a result, the driver no longer has access to Uber. Our policy is clear: no mask, no respect, no driving.”

After documenting the incident with authorities and Uber, Khadka said he realized his car could not be driven.

“Anyone who walks in and puts their hand in any area of ​​the car and somehow wipes their hand on their nose, mouth or eyes, it’s going to hurt,” he said. he said, referring to the pepper spray.

Khadka said he asked Uber to help pay the cost of cleaning his car and the company paid him $ 370. Uber said it gave Khadka $ 250 and other financial backers, and it was up to the driver to reveal how much the company gave him.

After cleaning his car, Khadka hit the road again.

“Nobody wants to go out on Sunday and work but I was already there,” he said. “So I tried to work, I took a few walks and I didn’t feel I was on my senses so I was thinking about something else and I was driving and it’s not safe at all so I am. go home.”

Target employee breaks arm in scuffle with buyers who allegedly don't wear masks, police say

Khadka said he had not returned to the road since the incident last Sunday.

As the video began to circulate online, Khadka wanted to share what had happened with her family in Nepal.

“They are family, they worry a lot,” he said. “So I called them up and I said, ‘There’s a video coming out, please don’t panic, it’s just for a social cause, we need justice.'”

“The pandemic hit us in the same way, all over the world, it’s the same in Nepal,” he said. “Life is getting normal there, so it’s been a tough time for me, but I have to work.”

Khadka said she shared the video to help police identify the suspects.

“Once they are identified, once they are in custody, we will move forward for justice and that’s it, that’s what I wanted,” he said. .

A GoFundMe has been launched on behalf of Khadka.

[ad_2]

Source link