Last Friday night, Benjamin Golden, an upper-level marketing executive for Taco Bell, was caught on camera as he assaulted his Uber driver in a drunken rage. 
 
 Edward Caban, the driver, had recently installed a dashboard camera in his car after having run into other passengers in the past. He told CBS news that the problems began when he realized just how intoxicated Golden was and told him that he didn’t feel comfortable driving him home. 
 
 WARNING: some may find the footage in this video graphic to watch. 
 
 “You’re too drunk to give me directions, man. I’m kicking you out,” Caban tells Golden as he repeatedly rolls around in the back seat. “Get out of my car or I will call the police.” 
 
 It’s at this point that Golden proceeds to pull Caban’s hair and slap and punch him in the face. Caban, in retaliation empties a can of mace in his attacker’s face, driving him from the car. 
 
 “The only way that I felt I was going to get him to stop beating me was to incapacitate him, was to use some kind of self-defense,” Caban told CBS. “I don’t believe he would have stopped.” 
 
 Not long after the attack, Golden was picked up by Costa Mesa authorities and has been formally charged for public drunkenness and and assault. 
 
 32-year-old Newport Beach man arrested for attacking Uber driver in Costa Mesa https://t.co/5dbmclF4ys pic.twitter.com/UP3ItRbT0o — ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 2, 2015 
 
 “We’ve been in contact with Mr. Caban and are thankful he is doing OK,” Uber said in a statement to CBS. “The rider involved in this incident has been permanently banned from the platform.” 
 
 Though Caban is recuperating from the ordeal, he says that he’s now looking for another job because he no longer feels safe driving strangers around in his car at night. 
 
 UPDATE: Golden, as one might expect, is now also looking for a new job after being fired by Taco Bell. 
 
 “Given the behavior of the individual, it is clear he can no longer work for us,” a Taco Bell spokesperson told Adweek. “We have also offered and encouraged him to seek professional help.” ||||| SANTA ANA – The former Taco Bell Corp. manager accused of assaulting an Uber driver in Costa Mesa was charged in court on Tuesday. 
 
 Benjamin Golden, 32, of Newport Beach is facing four misdemeanor counts including assault on public transportation property, battery on a public transit employee with injury, assault and battery, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. 
 
 The charges stem from Friday’s incident caught on a car dashboard camera where he was seen in an intoxicated state slapping and hitting the 23-year-old driver. He was arrested by Costa Mesa police and released the next morning. 
 
 The four-minute video of the alleged assault went viral online Monday afternoon. 
 
 Golden has been terminated from his position as a brand manager for Taco Bell Corp., based in Irvine, according to a statement released Monday by Taco Bell Corp. 
 
 The incident occurred at 1835 Newport Blvd. a little after 8 p.m. on Friday according to Costa Mesa police. Lt. Greg Scott. 
 
 The video begins with Caban asking the suspect repeatedly for directions. The suspect answers, at times unintelligibly, and hiccups. 
 
 “While being transported, Golden was unable to clearly give directions, to the Uber driver, where he wished to be driven,” according to Lt. Greg Scott said in a statement Monday morning. 
 
 Caban then pulls into what appears to be a lighted parking lot and says the ride is over, but the suspect responds to take him to “Park Newport.” 
 
 Caban then says, “Get out of my car or I will call the police,” and the suspect seems displeased with being asked to get out of the car. 
 
 The suspect, who is seen riding in the seat directly behind Caban, opens the door as if to leave, but then reaches for Caban’s head, saying, “Let me tell you something you little (expletive).” 
 
 Scott said Golden punched and slapped the driver’s face. “In self-defense, the driver pepper sprayed Golden.” 
 
 A woman at Golden’s residence Tuesday afternoon did not open the door for a Register reporter. 
 
 If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $10,000 fine. At his arraignment on Nov. 17, officials will be requesting he be held in lieu of $20,000 bail. Golden is not in custody. 
 
 Caban had told a local TV station he was tired of dealing with intoxicated customers. 
 
 “I have lost so much money on people like him and I’m just done dealing with it,” he said to KNBC-TV Channel 4 Sunday. “People like that, they take the food right out of my mouth.” 
 
 He also said his views on being an Uber driver have changed. 
 
 “I don’t feel safe driving for Uber anymore. The quality of the passengers seems to have gone down the past couple of weeks and I know a lot of drivers will agree with me.” 
 
 Register staff writer Scott Schwebke contributed to this report 
 
 Contact the writer: afausto@ocregister.com ||||| 32-year-old Newport Beach man arrested for attacking Uber driver in Costa Mesa https://t.co/5dbmclF4ys pic.twitter.com/UP3ItRbT0o — ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 2, 2015 
 
 EMBED More News Videos A vicious attack on Uber driver Edward Caban was caught on camera Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. Benjamin Golden of Newport Beach was charged in the attack, Costa Mesa police said. 
 
 An Uber driver who police said was viciously attacked by an intoxicated man is suing the suspect for the alleged onslaught.Edward Caban has filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California in Orange County on Tuesday against 32-year-old Benjamin Golden of Newport Beach.Caban claims Golden caused damages in excess of $25,000 for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.Golden is accused of attacking Caban the evening of Friday in Costa Mesa, according to Costa Mesa police.Video obtained by ABC7 Eyewitness News shows what appears to be an intoxicated Golden falling over and struggling to give directions in the back seat of Caban's car.Caban then pulls over in a parking lot and asks Golden to exit the vehicle.Golden opens the door, but before getting out, police said he attacked Caban.After being punched several times and having his hair pulled, Caban was able to defend himself using pepper spray.Golden was arrested at the scene and charged with assault on a cab driver and public intoxication.On Monday, it was announced that Golden was fired from his job as a Taco Bell corporate employee.Taco Bell released the following statement following his termination, "Given the behavior of the individual, it is clear he can no longer work for us. We have also offered and encouraged him to seek professional help.
– A Taco Bell executive has been fired for allegedly assaulting an Uber driver—with the whole thing caught on video. Identified by police as Benjamin Golden, 32, the passenger can be seen on a dashcam video riding in the car of Uber driver Edward Caban in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Friday night, CNBC reports. But the guy appears too drunk to give coherent directions, prompting Caban to pull over and kick him out. "You're too drunk to give me directions, man," Caban says. "Get out of my car or I will call the police." The passenger opens the door from the back seat when he says, "Lemme tell you something, you little s--t" and repeatedly slaps and punches Caban and pulls his hair. Caban retaliates by spraying something in the man's face (reported as Mace or pepper spray) and pursues him out into the street. "The only way that I felt I was going to get him to stop beating me was to incapacitate him, was to use some kind of self-defense," Caban tells CBS News. "I don't believe he would have stopped." Now Golden is facing charges, including public intoxication and assault on a cab driver, and lost his job as a Taco Bell senior marketing manager. "Given the behavior of the individual, it is clear he can no longer work for us," a Taco Bell rep tells Adweek. "We have also offered and encouraged him to seek professional help." As for Caban, Fusion reports that he plans to look for another job. (An NYPD officer got caught on video losing it against an Uber driver.)