Uber driver allegedly bashed passenger in the head with a hammer

Not all Uber rides are safe. Patrick Karajah, a 26-year-old Uber X driver, has been accused of attacking a passenger with a hammer and leaving him by the side of the road in San Francisco's Bernal Heights district. SF Gate reports that the victim and a couple of friends were picked up at a bar around 2 a.m., and along the way they got into a fight over the route Karajah was taking. Karajah then allegedly kicked them out of the car and proceeded to repeatedly bash the victim in the head with a hammer. The victim is currently in recovery but is suffering serious injuries and head trauma. Karajah pled not guilty to the charge of assault and is currently free on $125,000 bail.

There've been past incidents with Uber drivers as well -- one was accused of kidnapping a club-goer in Los Angeles, while another in San Francisco was apparently physically and verbally abusive. The incidents seem to be few and far between, but they do add credence to the recent report by San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys that alleges Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing services have not been compliant about driver background checks.

Update: Uber spokesperson Eva Behrend has responded with the following statement.

[Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images]