Police in Burnaby, B.C., have arrested a suspect in connection with the disturbing assault of an Uber driver last month, which was captured on the vehicle’s camera system.
Driver Gurjot Singh Ranu said a passenger smacked him in the face at the end of a trip between Surrey and North Burnaby around 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 9. In the video, the passenger can be seen reaching from the back seat to hit the driver before exiting the vehicle.
“It was so shocking for me,” said Singh Ranu in an interview the following day. “I was so surprised that this happened to me. I’ve never heard or seen anyone getting a physical assault in an Uber.”
A 26-year-old Burnaby man now faces one charge of assault, Burnaby RCMP said in a Monday news release.
Singh Ranu, who had been driving an Uber on and off for the past three years, said at the time he thought the two passengers were drunk.
He said he had some trouble getting the male passenger to provide logistical information: a PIN for the trip and a specific address for the drop-off, which at the time of pickup was only listed as a street name in Burnaby.
“When I asked that he went upset with me, he started (verbally) abusing me,” Singh Ranu had alleged. “I pulled over the car immediately and said, ‘If you’re going to behave like that I’ll be unable to take your ride.'”
He said he informed the passengers they were being recorded on camera, and the next 15 minutes of the ride to Burnaby were quiet. When he dropped the pair off, the man suddenly struck him, he said.
The passenger was gone by the time police arrived on scene, Singh Ranu added, but with help from the security footage, RCMP were able to identify and arrest a suspect.
“Everyone has the right to do their job without the fear of becoming a victim of crime, especially violent crime,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj said in the news release.
“We will do our best to help the victim get past this traumatic incident as there is no place for violence such as this in our city.”
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