Fresno Lyft Driver Shot Attempting to Defend Himself

Fresno, California – A Lyft driver was seriously injured after being shot by 2-3 men who tried to rob him on Sunday.

According to Fresno Police Department (FPD), an unidentified Lyft driver had pulled over to check his phone at around 3 a.m. when he was approached by two men who demanded his valuables.

Detectives said they were told by the victim that he feigned compliance to the demands, but when he reached behind him, he brought out a gun instead of his wallet and fired at his attackers.

The suspects returned fire, striking the driver in the side, and fled the scene.

Paramedics rushed the driver to the hospital for his injuries where he remains in critical condition.

Lieutenant Tim Tietjen of FPD said about the victim:

“I mean, how sad. The guy’s just trying to work. He’s trying to do his job and he’s confronted by two individuals who are trying to take his hard-earned money from him. To me, that’s extremely sad and our prayers are with the victim.”

Lyft spokeswoman, Lauren Alexander, was quick to distance her employers from the incident in a statement about the shooting:

“What’s being reported is terrifying. While this incident did not occur on platform, we have reached out to the driver to extend our support and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”

According to the Lyft website:

“Lyft has a strict “No Weapons” policy for all of its properties. This includes Lyft Hubs and service centers.

Our “No Weapons” policy applies when you are doing business as a representative of Lyft, which includes times that you are driving for Lyft, as well as times that you are visiting a Lyft Hub.

This means that even in places where it is legal to carry a weapon, we ask that you do not carry a weapon on any Lyft property.

We approach this from a community perspective. It’s hard to know what someone else is or isn’t comfortable with. The mere presence of a weapon might make another community member distressed and fear for his or her own personal safety.

At a minimum, a “weapon” includes any form of firearm. There are many items that could be considered weapons besides firearms, such as handguns, stun guns, explosives, knives, sling shots and tasers. Lyft reserves sole judgment on what else may constitute a “weapon.”  If you have any questions about whether various items could be considered a “weapon” under this policy, please contact Lyft Support before bringing any questionable items onto Lyft property.”

The 28-year-old driver, identified by his family by only his first name, Matthew, said he is recovering from surgery to repair damage caused by the gun shot to his abdomen which damaged his spleen and lung.

“All that matters is that my brother is alive, he’s okay, and he’s going to pull through,” his brother Andrew told KSEE.


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2 Comments

  1. Mike S on September 19, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    Lyft’s public no weapons policy may be what made him a target.

    • Tony on September 20, 2019 at 6:56 pm

      What made him a target was lack of situational awareness.

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