Lyft Passenger Killed In Hit-And-Run After Altercation With A Driver

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a Los Angeles man who was killed in a hit-and-run after leaving his Lyft ride on a busy freeway after an alleged altercation with the driver.

Justin Lavelle, 23, got into an altercation with his Lyft driver, according to his mother and a friend who he called on the Jan. 31 ride.

"He was screaming hideously and saying, 'Mom, mom, I have been pepper sprayed,'" his mother, Amy Lavelle, told KNBC, an NBC affiliate in Los Angeles.

The driver, Tariq Rasseed, denied pepper spraying him, but did say he forced Justin Lavelle to leave his car, claiming that he was drunk and tried to disrupt the ride, according to KNBC.

“He [held] my steering and I couldn’t move an inch,” Rasseed told the station. “I would have died; I didn’t have no choice left.”

Others felt something more nefarious happened. Justin Lavelle’s father spoke to KCAL, a CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, and said he believed his son was forced out of the car.

“What person in their right mind would get out of the car on one of the busy highways out there unless he was forced,” said John Lavelle, the father of Justin Lavelle.

Lyft told International Business Times it has suspended the driver’s account and was working with authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts are with those impacted by this loss. We have been in daily contact with this individual’s family to offer our support and assistance,” said Lyft in a statement to IBT. “Given the serious nature of these allegations, we immediately deactivated the driver’s account. We have proactively reached out to law enforcement and stand ready to assist in their investigation.”

Justin Lavelle was en route from his home in West Hollywood to Long Beach, California, to visit a friend. KNBC reported that Justin Lavelle made a call to that friend to complain about the driver.

California Highway Patrol told IBT that the case is under investigation, but could not provide further information.