Uber passenger seen assaulting San Francisco driver in viral video is arrested
Police have arrested a woman who was seen assaulting a San Francisco Uber driver in a video that went viral this week.
San Francisco police said on Thursday that officers with the Las Vegas police department had arrested Malaysia King, 24, who is accused of attacking Subhakar Khadka after he refused to continue to drive King and two other passengers, one of whom had failed to follow Uber policies and wear a mask during the ride.
The incident occurred on Sunday, after Khadka picked up three women in the city. Khadka filmed the video, which appears to show an unmasked woman in the back of the car coughing into Khadka’s face and screaming at him. Seconds later the woman snatches Khadka’s cellphone out of his hand and plucks his mask from his face. She and another passenger threaten to beat up the driver, before, according to Khadka, spraying pepper spray into his car.
Police have identified the two women as King, and 24-year-old Arna Kimiai. King was arrested on four charges, including assault and battery and assault with a caustic chemical.
Officials said that Kimiai’s legal counsel has indicated she plans to turn herself over to police. In the days following the video’s circulation, Kimiai has said on social media that she was afraid that Khadka was going to kick the trio out of his car on the freeway or in an unfamiliar area.
Kimiai has not returned repeated requests for comment in recent days.
Khadka told the Guardian on Wednesday that before the altercation, he had stopped at a gas station so one of the three passengers could buy a mask. When she was inside, he said, the other two riders began taunting and threatening him.
“Before the girl came back with her mask I had to listen to taunts about how they could shoot me in the face and call their boyfriends and cousins on me,” Khadka said. “They talked about how small my testicles are because of my race. They called me a goofy-ass Nword after every sentence.”
Minutes later Khadka turned on his camera. Once the riders got out of the car, he said, King sprayed pepper-spray into the vehicle.
Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, thanked San Francisco authorities in a tweet on Thursday, condemning the incident as an act of anti-Asian hate.
Khadka’s assault comes as the San Francisco Bay Area reckons with attacks against Asian residents. A 75year-old Asian man in Oakland died on Thursday after being assaulted and robbed earlier this week.