A Lyft passenger went on a racist, homophobic rant — and threatened to crush his driver's skull — after being asked to wear a face covering.
Dash-cam video of the incident in Reno, Nevada, shows the driver, named Edgar, picking up the passenger, a white man named Richard. Edgar is wearing a mask but Richard is not.
Edgar asks if Richard has a face mask. When Richard replies that he doesn't, Edgar asks his passenger to put his shirt over his face.
“You believe in that shit?” Richard says.
“Yes, I do because I have family who are sick from that,” Edgar says, referring to the coronavirus.
After Richard says he doesn't trust the government, Edgar responds: “It's not the government. It's the people who are getting sick. … It's because we are really close right here in the car.”
Richard then objects to Edgar's route, saying he should have turned left instead of following directions from the Lyft driver app toward a freeway.
“I don't like you,” Richard says.
“You don't like me? You want to get out?” Edgar responds.
“No, I want you to take my ass home so I can give you a shitty review.” Richard says.
That's when Edgar pulls over and tells Richard he can get out. Richard refuses, saying he has “a contract” with the driver that can't be canceled.
“You represent Lyft, you little candy-ass faggot in your white glasses. I should just fucking crush your f–king skull right now,” Richard says.
As they proceed to argue over the terms of the trip cancellation, Edgar explains to Richard that the entire ride is on video, and threatens to call police if he doesn't get out.
Richard responds by mocking Edgar's accent and repeatedly calling him “boy.”
“You're a fucking wetback,” Richard says at one point. “I'm an American, motherf–ker. I fought … three times in a goddamn war.
“Why are you [charging] me for a full ride when you only gave me 100 yards of ride?” Richard adds. “How is that considered to be fair? Is that considered fair in your country?”
“Yes, because this is my country, too,” Edgar responds, before Richard finally gets out.
A representative from Lyft responded to the video: “The behavior shown by the rider in this video is despicable and has no place on the Lyft platform. Lyft is committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community, and discrimination is not tolerated.”
Watch it below.
