Paul, a driver in Los Angeles:

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"It was 2:30 on a Friday night ,or Saturday morning rather, when I got a request for a 45+ minute ride," he said in a[n interview. "Normally it's worth it at this time because there's no traffic. When I got to the ping, there was no one there so I called the guy who said he was walking down the road. Sure enough, I spotted him and he hopped in. I instantly felt uncomfortable. He said he wanted to go to the Hollywood sign to party all night. I should have ended the ride right there.

"As we were approaching the freeway, I realized I was going to need gas, so I pulled in to fill up. When I got back in the car, he had canceled the trip. He said he would pay me $100 if I drove him and stayed to party with him for a few hours, and $100 more to drive him home. I told him that was illegal and he needed to get out of my vehicle, but he didn't listen. When I told him again, he started swearing and screaming at me like a mad man. I opened his door to help him out of my car and he got even angrier. He punched me in the face and I fell backward.

"Fortunately, a tow truck driver was in the station and witnessed the incident. He came over to assist and luckily he was a big man. He dragged the passenger out of my car and held him in an arm lock while I called the police.

"I contacted Lyft, who said they would deactivate him and investigate. Still, I was too unsettled to drive for a few days. I'm very glad that tow truck driver was there.