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2 Men Sue Lyft After Driver Pulls Gun, Uses Gay Slur
The car-sharing service Lyft is being sued by two men who say a driver pulled a gun on them and spewed gay slurs during a ride in the North Halsted neighborhood of Chicago, the Chicago Sun Times reports.
The six-count suit for the September incident was filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court by Charlie Calvin and another man who remains anonymous. The two men are seeking over $300,000 in damages from the driver and Lyft.
The suit obtained by the Chicago Sun Times claims Calvin requested a ride from the company early Sept. 1. Driver Jaleesa Rance picked up him and the other man up. But the ride didn't last long.
Rance, 35, and the two men got into an argument and she soon pulled over, telling them to get out of her car. She then allegedly pulled out a gun from the center console, pointing it at the men, according to the suit and Chicago police. Rance also allegedly pointed the gun at Calvin, the suit says, and threatened him by saying, "I'll blast you," and used a gay slur.
Police said Rance had a valid concealed carry permit.
Rance was later taken into custody, police told the newspaper. She was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. All are misdemeanors.
"The safety of the Lyft community is our top priority, and we have a strict no weapons policy for both drivers and passengers," Lyft spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna told the Chicago Sun Times in a statement after Rance was charged. "We have reached out to the passenger and deactivated the driver in question while we look into this matter, and stand ready to assist law enforcement in any investigation."
The Change Sun Times' report comes just after it was reported a Lyft driver kicked out "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Aja and her boyfriend from a car because they kissed.
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