A man was facing possible misdemeanor charges today after his arrest for allegedly attacking an Uber driver in Costa Mesa, police said.
The incident, which has been aired prominently on television, occurred about 8:10 p.m. Friday in the 1800 block of Newport Boulevard, said Costa Mesa police Lt. Joyce Lapointe.
Benjamin Golden, 32, of Newport Beach was booked on suspicion of assault and battery and being drunk in public, Lapointe said. Even though TV footage showed him being struck several times, the driver was not injured, Lapointe said.
Golden was released with a written promise to appear in court, and police plan to submit charges to the Orange County district attorney’s office, Sgt. Jerry Souza told the Los Angeles Times.
Uber driver Edward Caban posted dashboard camera images of the alleged attack on YouTube, and the video was reviewed by police, Souza said.
In the video, the passenger and driver argue, and the driver pulls over and tells the passenger to leave the car. The passenger, who is in the back seat, strikes the driver in the head, and the driver pepper-sprays the passenger, who gets out of the vehicle.
