ELM GROVE - A former Lyft driver is now behind bars after he allegedly pointed a gun at a passenger Friday night in Elm Grove.
Brandon Ndon and Ben Reynolds had just clocked out and requested a Lyft after a long day of work at the Silver Spur off Watertown Plank Road.
The driver pulled up on the opposite side, so they tried to get him to make a u-turn.
“We were waving him down like telling him can you come around, turn around, make a u-turn, because we had to go in that direction anyway to where we were headed,” Ndon said.
They walked over after the driver didn’t move.
“When we got in the car we just asked him again, ‘can you make a u-turn for us?’ and he’s like ‘don’t tell me how to drive,’” Ndon said.
But the driver went ahead and turned his car around, starting an argument.
“I’m like ‘that’s your review sir if that’s how you want to be,’ and then he’s like ‘that’s your review,’” Ndon said.
“We only made it like a half a block,” Reynolds said.
“He’s like ‘I’m going to pull over y’all, disrespectful get out of my car,’” Ndon said.
So they hopped out, but within moments the driver started moving.
“I had to jump off the front of the car like literally push myself off it, and I walked up to him like ‘sir did you really just try to hit me?’” Ndon said.
But, that wasn’t the end of it.
“He’s like, ‘oh I got something for you.’ He started reaching into his back, and I just put my hands up, started backing up like I’m not going to die for nothing,” Ndon said. “I saw him reach out and grab his gun, cock it and aim it at my face and say ‘I’ll blow you away.’”
Ndon back up, and the driver sped off, not before Reynolds got his license plate number and they called 911.
“It’s just crazy. It could have been anybody and then after he left you know he could have went and picked up somebody else,” Reynolds said.
Elm Grove Police said they arrested the 47-year-old man from Milwaukee on charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and intentionally pointing a firearm at another. He remains in Waukesha County Jail.
“This is not the first time and it may not be the last time,” Ndon said.
Now Ndon and Reynolds want to warn others and send a message to Lyft.
“I can’t blame Lyft because Lyft can’t control everybody that drives the car, but they should vet them more,” Ndon said.
As a part of its policy, Lyft doesn’t allow drivers or riders to carry weapons. In response to the incident, the company released the following statement:
Safety is fundamental to Lyft. The behavior described is unacceptable and the driver’s access to Lyft has been permanently removed. We responded immediately and have been in close contact with the rider since the incident. We stand ready to assist the authorities and will continue to help in every way we can.
