Uber driver claims passenger thought he was Muslim, attacked him

A Charlotte Uber driver said he was attacked early Sunday morning by a passenger who apparently thought the driver was a Muslim.

“He asked me if I was a Muslim. I said I was not a Muslim,” said Samson Woldemichael. “I was driving and he hit me while I was driving.”

Woldemichael said it started after he went to Park Road to pick up a passenger from a bar. He said the man gave him his home address, which was about 10 to 15 minutes away.

According to Woldemichael, the drive started out peacefully. But he said when he arrived at the drop off location, the passenger became belligerent.

“He said he’s gonna shoot me right on the face. He’s gonna strangle me,” Woldemichael told WBTV. “I asked him why. He was calling me too many bad word names... insulting me. He told me I was a Muslim.”

Woldemichael said he came to the U.S. eight years ago from Ethiopia, a country in the horn of Africa – and he’s a Christian.

Woldemichael said he doesn’t know why the passenger assumed he’s a Muslim, or threatened to shoot him.

“I told him in the first place I was not a Muslim. It’s not right to generalize people and do that,” he said.

The Uber driver said after the passenger threatened to kill him, he asked the man to get out of the car. According to Woldemichael, the passenger refused to leave, and wanted Woldemichael to get out of the car.

“I started driving because I didn’t feel safe anymore to park there,” he said. “So after driving around the block, he hit from the back real hard on the forehead. Fortunately, I didn’t lose consciousness. I didn’t pass out. He charged with one and he was beating with the other repeatedly on my head.”

Woldemichael said he stopped the car, and started honking his horn. He was hoping to attract attention and get help.

He said the passenger got out of the car, and “ran away a little bit.”

Woldemichael said he stepped out of the vehicle but decided to get back in.

“He was saying he would shoot me and he was acting like he’s hiding his hand in his back so he was acting like he’s armed.”

Woldemichael said he drove off and called 911.

WBTV is the Observer’s news partner