SAN FRANCISCO A man who requested a late-night ride from the ridesharing service Uber in San Francisco over the weekend was robbed by a driver, who refused to let him leave, then chased and assaulted him before taking his cell phone and debit card, police said.
Uber spokeswoman Kate Downen said the company could not confirm the driver worked for the firm. "This man called an Uber, it's not fair to say he got into one," she said.
Asked if the rider's Uber request had been validated by any Uber driver, Downed declined to comment, citing the police investigation.
The man, who was in his 30s and not named, was visiting the city's Marina District and ordered a ride through the Uber app around 1 a.m. local time on Saturday, San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Officer Carlos Manfredi said on Monday.
He then got into a black Lincoln Town Car and the driver later stopped to let in a woman, which surprised the passenger who had not selected Uber's carpooling feature, Manfredi said.
The driver then offered the man a way to get narcotics or a prostitute, Manfredi said, which the rider declined.
Once they approached the rider's destination, in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, the driver refused to let the passenger out, he said.
The passenger escaped but was chased on foot by the driver, who robbed and assaulted the man, Manfredi said. The passenger suffered a dislocated kneecap but declined hospitalization.
He was also robbed of his debit card, which has had multiple authorizations since the robbery, Manfredi said.
The driver remains at large and police are working to determine if the driver or vehicle was registered with Uber.
(Editing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Michael Perry)
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