UberX driver accused of battery on woman in San Francisco

An UberX driver in San Francisco has been accused of dragging a woman from his car and destroying her phone. An UberX driver in San Francisco has been accused of dragging a woman from his car and destroying her phone. Photo: David Ramos / Getty Images Photo: David Ramos / Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close UberX driver accused of battery on woman in San Francisco 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An UberX driver was cited over the weekend for allegedly forcibly pulling a passenger out of the car and smashing her phone when she tried to document the action, police said.

According to the victim’s roommate, Uber did not respond to their complaints and inquiries for almost a day, essentially allowing the driver to continue his shift after the alleged attack.

Martin Hynek, 39, of Berkeley was cited for battery, malicious mischief and vandalism — all misdemeanors — in the Saturday incident, said police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza.

Hynek had picked up the victim at her Nob Hill home when they got into a disagreement over the address of her destination at about 7 p.m., Esparza said. He then pulled over on the 1000 block of Jones Street and demanded that she get out of the car.

“The suspect got out of the driver seat, opened up the rear passenger door and grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her out of the vehicle,” Esparza said. “The victim tried taking a picture and he allegedly grabbed the phone and threw it on the street. She then flagged an officer down.”

Because these were misdemeanor offenses that the police did not see, the victim signed a citizen’s arrest saying she wished to press charges, Esparza said.

The driver was allowed to leave after being cited. Claire Singer Tyree, the victim’s roommate, said that was concerning to her and the victim because they did not know if he was allowed to continue picking up passengers after the incident.

They both tried to contact Uber, they said, but had little success.

“She provided immediate feedback on her phone,” Tyree said. “I tried searching for a way to contact them directly. She sent four different messages then — none of which they responded to. Sunday evening, someone who was the West Coast manager finally called me.”

Tyree said the representative she spoke to told her Hynek had been fired.

“I think responding to an incidence of violence after 20 hours is not OK when you’re running a 24-hour business,” she said. “Our question was how many passengers did he drive after that, and before he was fired? Did he spend the rest of the night picking up women?”

Attempts to reach Hynek were unsuccessful. Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said in a statement, “It’s Uber’s policy to immediately suspend a driver’s account following any serious allegations, which we have done. We have also been in contact with the rider and will assist authorities in any investigation.”

She did not comment on when Hynek’s account had been suspended, or if he took more fares after he was cited. Behrend also did not comment on the amount of time it took an Uber representative to get in touch with the victim.

The company came under criticism last month when another UberX driver, 26-year-old Patrick Karajah, allegedly struck a passenger in the head with a hammer over a route dispute.

The passenger, Roberto Chicas, may lose an eye from the attack. According to his attorney, Uber sent him a receipt for the ride that included a $1 “safety fee” surcharge.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo