Rideshare driver assaulted, robbed by passengers in Seattle

SEATTLE - Seattle Police are investigating a robbery and assault of a rideshare driver that happened on Tuesday.

Police say the incident happened at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp in the Dunlap neighborhood during an argument between the rideshare driver and several passengers.

Officers were initially called to a nearby apartment complex around 9 p.m. after the driver was able to find someone to help her call 911.

The 37-year-old woman told police that she was in the process of a pick-up at the boat ramp when a man, three women, and toddler got into the car and loaded their things in the trunk.

The driver told the passengers she could not complete the trip because there was no car seat for the toddler to sit in, which started the dispute, according to police.

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The incident, which occurred last Thursday in West Seattle, has since gone viral on social media platforms, igniting discussions about police conduct and abuse of power.

Police say the driver tried to cancel the trip, but one of the passengers took her phone.

The woman told police she locked her doors after the passengers got out of her car and asked for her phone back, but the suspects accused her of theft because their things were still in the trunk.

The driver said one of the passengers punched her in the head, and she tried to fight back. The victim was knocked to the ground and struck by all passengers, saying her car window was smashed and she was hit with a piece of driftwood, police said.

After the assault, some of the women took the driver's personal belongings and were last seen running northbound through the park. The other passengers, including the toddler, ran southbound through the park, toward Seward Park Avenue South, according to police.

The victim declined medical attention.

The Seattle Police Department’s Robbery Unit is handling the investigation. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

This assault and robbery comes during a dangerous year for rideshare drivers in western Washington, as an Uber driver was stabbed by a woman just last week. January was also a deadly month, as an Uber driver was shot and killed on January 3, and another was possibly kidnapped and murdered by an escaped JBLM soldier.