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A Lyft driver pulled a female passenger out of his car, and allegedly started to attack her -- kicking off a chain reaction of fights with concerned passersby.

TMZ got a hold of this WILD surveillance video recorded Tuesday afternoon in L.A., and it starts with the car -- which has the Lyft emblem in the back window -- parked curbside along busy Melrose Avenue. Then the male driver hops out, and pulls a young woman from the seat behind him and starts dragging her out of the vehicle while tossing her stuff out at the same time.

The woman, actress Alessandra Starr Ward, tells TMZ the whole thing started when she started playing a song called "Te Bote" from her phone. The driver demanded she turn it off, she refused, and they started arguing. He allegedly threatened to boot her from the car, and she told him she'd call police if he did.

In the clip, you can see Alessandra fighting back, but the driver pushed her down and knocked her over. Drivers in other cars saw it unfolding and a few guys stopped to help.

That's when it really hit the fan ... several guys teamed up on the Lyft driver, who continued fighting back, and in the scuffle ... Alessandra got knocked down again. It took one guy putting the Lyft driver in a chokehold to finally calm things down.

We're told nearby police officers were flagged down, and cited the Lyft driver for misdemeanor battery. As for Alessandra, she says she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion. She also says she has bruises all over her body, a sprained ankle and a black eye.

She tells us Lyft needs to vet its drivers, as this shouldn't happen to anyone. It's unclear if she plans to pursue legal action against the rideshare company.