A Lyft driver was driving his assailant to his destination in Harris County, Texas, when he was attacked by a passenger and strangled with his own seatbelt.
Driver Kehinde Ayola, who was choked by a passenger while traveling on the highway, said he may never be able to work in a rideshare job again or be comfortable driving at all. He said he hopes the incident will prompt the company to make policy changes to protect other drivers.
“He was trying to kill me,” Ayoola told FOX 26.
“I thought, ‘Maybe I’m going to die.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll fight for my life,'” he added.
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A Lyft driver was driving his assailant to his destination in Harris County, Texas, when he was attacked by a passenger and strangled with his own seatbelt. (Getty)
Ramiro Vera was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the attack.
According to Ayola, when the driver arrived at the hospital to pick up Vera, who appeared to be on a hospital-ordered ride, he saw a man standing with three hospital staff, fidgety and acting strangely. It is said that he observed
“He was moving around, looking like he was looking for something, and I said, ‘Is this guy okay?'” The security guard said yes, Ayoola said. looks back.
Ayoola said as soon as the passenger got into the car, he started muttering to himself before hitting his chest.
At some point, Berra slipped from the back seat and into the seat behind Ayoola.
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Driver Kehinde Ayola, who was choked by a passenger while traveling on the highway, said he may never be able to work in a rideshare job again or be comfortable driving at all. (Getty)
“So I said, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ And he took my seatbelt and put it around my neck and strangled me,” Ayola said.
Ayoola said he was driving 105 mph on Highway 290 when Bella choked him so hard that his nose and eyes began to bleed. Mr. Ayoola tried to put his fingers between his neck and the seat belt.
“When I was pushing, I hurt my shoulder and my leg so bad that when I was turning the wheel with my foot, I was fighting for my life,” Ayoola said, adding that he was able to unbuckle his seatbelt.
Vera then used his arm to put Ayoola into a chokehold.
Ramiro Vela was charged with aggravated assault for attacking a Lyft driver. (Photo illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
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As Ayoola pulled the car to the side of the road, Vela kicked the back window, causing the frame to pop out. Bella then kicked the dent in the back of the car and opened the trunk. Ayoola said he believes the passenger was looking for a weapon.
Investigators said Berra then ran up to the house, started screaming and tried to enter the home. The homeowner called 911 and Vera was arrested.
“I just thank God. It’s a miracle of God that I’m alive,” Ayola said. “It was really scary, really scary.”
Ayoola said he hopes the ride-hailing service will look into the incident and make some policy changes, especially when drivers are sent to pick up passengers who have “received instructions from a hospital.” said.
