Uber driver pepper-sprayed by passenger in Manhattan

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- An Uber ride took a terrifying turn in Manhattan when a passenger suddenly pepper-sprayed the driver.

The attack was caught on camera, and the victim spoke exclusively to PIX11 News.

Shohel Mahmud, the veteran Uber driver, believes the incident was racially motivated, but the woman involved denies that is the case.

It was Wednesday night, nearing 11:30, on the Upper East Side. Mahmud was on the phone while passengers Jennifer Guilbeault and a friend were quietly sitting in the backseat.

Then, 90 seconds into three minutes of dashcam video, Guilbeault suddenly stands up, yelling. According to police, the 23-year-old unprovokedly attacked Mahmud and pepper-sprayed him in the face.

Mahmud described the attack, saying, “My whole face was burning. It lasted two hours.” He also feared that the attackers were going to hijack his car.

Mahmud, the sole provider for his family was back to work on Friday night. “People like her, this is not the right way to treat people,” he said.

NYPD officers arrested Guilbeault at the scene and charged her with assault. 

While neither the NYPD nor the Manhattan District Attorney is currently charging this as a bias attack, Mahmud, a Bangladeshi father of three, believes it was due to his skin color. “What I figured out when I saw the video is [she said] that it’s because of my body color,” he said.

In a statement, the Taxi Workers Union said, “This is such a gross, racist violent attack. The DA needs to prosecute using both anti-hate crime and taxi driver protection laws against this racist assailant.”

Uber told PIX11 News that the young woman has been banned from the app, stating, “The rider’s actions shown in the video are deplorable. Violence is not tolerated.”

When we reached out to Guilbeault for a comment, her family denied it was a hate crime but offered no other explanation for what was seen on video. 

Guilbeault is due in court on the misdemeanor charge later this month.