Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

Rider Summons Both Uber & Lyft. Lyft Arrives First, so Uber Driver Shoots Him in the head

"It's my fair! My Ride! I'm here at 5 am to work, I need this ride!" said the Uber Driver, pulling a pistol

Experienced Lyft and Uber drivers know it's a common but frustrating practice. A passenger is in a hurry. Nothing prevents him from using the Uber & Lyft Apps on his phone simultaneously, to summon one of each. But this time, it ended in gunfire.

About 5 a.m., the driver picked up two passengers at Avenue 40 and Eagle Rock Blvd in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles. This according to Los Angeles Police Sgt. Roberto Alaniz. As he pulled away, an Uber driver pulled up next to him and the pair began arguing. "It's my fair! My Ride! I'm here at 5 am to work, I need this ride!" and various obscenities said the Uber Driver. The Uber Driver pulled out a gun and fired.

The wounded Lyft driver crashed his car into a fire hydrant as the shooter fled in a “dark, Toyota-type car,” Alaniz told the Los Angeles Times. A suspect description was not immediately available.

The two passengers hid in the back seat and were not injured, Alaniz said.

The Lyft driver was taken to a hospital, where he had surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his brain. “Looks like he’s going to be OK,” Alaniz said.

It's interesting to note that drivers commonly drive for both Lyft and Uber. Advises one driver website: "Driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time increases efficiency while helping drivers maintain a high volume of ride requests throughout the night. This means more money and less time wasted behind the wheel. I have been driving for both for over a year now, and as long as I remember to turn one off when I request a ride on the other, it has worked out great so far."

 

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