Lyft Passenger Attacks Driver Over Partition For Coronavirus Protection in Florida

A Lyft driver in Florida was attacked by a passenger who got upset over a plastic partition set up between them as a shield against COVID-19 transmission.

The passenger, identified as 36-year-old Travis Smith, was arrested for the incident that unfolded just after midnight Sunday, Aug.2.

Smith was travelling home with a friend and the latter’s 7-year-old son in the ridesharing vehicle when he got irate over the plastic barrier between him and the driver. The dashcam video showed Smith starting a conversation with the driver over the plastic partition.

"How did you seal that up ... like, you did that yourself?" Smith asks.

"Yea, I did it myself," the driver responds.

He then calls the driver a "liar." Just then the light at the rear seat lights up.

The driver is heard asking if anyone opened the door, to which Smith replies "Nope, nobody’s allowed to open the door." But the warning beeps for the open door can be heard.

Smith is then seen covering the light with his hand. One of the passengers is heard saying, "We’re going through a stoplight." Smith then tears off the plastic shield and grabs the driver by his neck.

The other passenger is thrown out of the open door while the driver applies the brakes. He then pulls himself up to get his boy out of the vehicle. The child can be heard crying.

"This was a very dangerous situation for not only the people inside the vehicle but for the other motorists on the roadway," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. "This drunk attacked an innocent driver and put numerous lives in danger."

Deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) responded to a call at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Royal Palm Parkway. Deputies found Smith and the driver engaged in a fight. Deputies separated the two and conducted individual interviews to determine what actually happened.

"These rider-share services can quickly become dangerous and drivers should be cautious of who they let in their vehicle. Thankfully the video recording device captured the entire incident and he went to jail," Staly said in the statement.

The driver suffered minor injuries during the clash, including a hematoma on the side of his forehead.

Smith was arrested and charged with Battery and Child Abuse for "putting the 7-year-old life’s in jeopardy during the attack in a moving vehicle," the statement said.

He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and was later released on a $7,500 bond.