Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Uber Driver Beats Passenger For Getting Snow In His Car, Prosecutors Say

By Erica Demarest | January 26, 2017 6:21am
 Prosecutors say Muntsr Abuseini, 25, drove to the victim's Logan Square home and beat him with a baton.
Prosecutors say Muntsr Abuseini, 25, drove to the victim's Logan Square home and beat him with a baton.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo; Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — An Uber driver tracked home a passenger who'd gotten snow in his car to beat the man with a baton, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The attack happened Dec. 18 after a 34-year-old Logan Square man and his friend requested a trip on the ride-hailing app, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Wednesday.

As the men stepped into Muntsr Abuseini's car, prosecutors said, they tracked snow into the vehicle. Abuseini, 25, asked the men to shake off their shoes outside his car, and an argument ensued.

The victim eventually canceled his ride with Abuseini and got out of the car, slamming the door as he went, Antoneitti said. The victim's friend is accused of hurling a snowball toward Abuseini's car.

That's when Abuseini and the victim got into a brief physical fight, prosecutors said.

Abuseini soon left the scene, according to Antonietti, and called 911 to ask Chicago police officers to meet him at the victim's Logan Square apartment, which had been entered into the Uber app as the man's final destination. Abuseini also asked two fellow Uber drivers to meet him on the scene for backup, prosecutors said.

The victim and his friend, meanwhile, hailed another Uber driver.

Police briefly met Abuseini in the 1800 block of North Fairfield Avenue, prosecutors said, but left when the victim failed to return home. But Abuseini and his friends waited.

When the victim finally returned home, Antonietti said, Abuseini attacked him with an extendable baton, repeatedly beating the man on his head.

The victim suffered a black eye and bruises and needed nine stitches in his head, according to authorities. There's a good chance his orbital bone is broken, Antonietti noted.

Uber spokeswoman Kayla Whaling on Wednesday called the incident "unacceptable."

"Violence is not tolerated on the Uber app, and this driver has not had access to Uber since the night of this alleged incident," she said.

Abuseini, of suburban Bridgeview, was arrested this week and charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.

"His actions were completely unreasonable," Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. said in court Wednesday before setting bail at $75,000.

Defense attorney Zuhair Nubani said Abuseini has lived in the area his entire life and supports his family.