Uber Unhinged: Pepper-Sprayer Accused Of Attacking Driver Indicted

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – A Manhattan woman has been indicted on hate crime charges for allegedly pepper spraying a Muslim Uber driver in anti-Muslim attack on the Upper East Side in July, prosecutors say.

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, faces charges of second-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The assault reportedly occurred around 12:15 a.m. on July 31, as the 45-year-old Uber driver, Shohel Mahmoud, was nearing the end of a ride with Guilbeault and another passenger near East 65th Street and Lexington Avenue.

When the driver began praying in Arabic at a red light, Guilbeault leaned forward from the back seat and pepper sprayed him in the face, according to court records.

CBS News obtained video footage of the dramatic attack and its aftermath.

The driver contacted 911 shortly after the incident, leading to Guilbeault’s arrest at the scene, according to prosecutors.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the incident, stating, “the victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity. Our Hate Crimes Unit will continue to address bias-motivated attacks by thoroughly investigating and prosecuting cases.”

The Guilbeault case is being handled by Assistant District Attorneys Phillip Klindt and Julia Hooks, with support from the DA’s Hate Crimes Unit and the NYPD’s 19th Precinct.

Uber has not releaseda safety report since 2022. The company’s most recent such report, covering 2019-2020, claims that “99.9% of Uber trips ended without any safety-related issue at all.”

However, the report only includes data about three types of incidents: motor vehicle fatalities, fatal physical assault, and sexual assault, none of which would have captured this incident.