A Russian Uber driver working illegally in the U.S. was filmed head-butting a South Carolina CEO who was holding his service dog, knocking him unconscious with a brain injury, according to the victim and a recently filed lawsuit.
Charleston-based CEO, Bryan Kobel, 45, said he canceled an Uber ride home from the French restaurant Maison in April after the driver refused to allow his service dog. Speaking to The New York Post on Thursday, Kobel explained the situation. Shocking surveillance video captures the driver, identified as Vadim Uliumdzhiev, 42, suddenly walking over and knocking out Kobel unconscious in the parking lot while he was still holding his 17-pound goldendoodle.
Dangerous Attack
"The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a hospital bed with seven staples in my head and four stitches," Kobel said. "It's been a brutal experience to this day." Kobel, the head of a biotech firm, sustained a concussion, memory loss, and visible scars — and later discovered from police that the driver had got the Uber position using a fraudulent license, he said.
"Uber has to take more accountability for its drivers," he said. "They're opening the door to mayhem."
Kobel recalled that he simply asked the driver if his service dog could ride in the car, to which the driver replied, "no."
When Kobel then told him to cancel the trip — an exchange he described as "innocuous" — the driver suddenly attacked him, leaving him with no memory of what happened next.
Video footage also shows a bystander taking a picture of Uliumdzhiev's license plate, followed by a frantic 911 call.
"He's bleeding very badly in the back of the head, we're going to need an ambulance," the caller said, according to 911 audio.
Uber Being Sued
Records indicate that Uliumdzhiev was eventually arrested on assault and battery charges. Afterward, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer, and he was moved to a federal ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, once he posted a $10,000 bond for the assault, according to the Post and Courier.
In the weeks after the incident, Kobel battled memory issues, often forgetting words and having difficulty speaking clearly as a result of his brain injury.
Kobel has filed a lawsuit against Uber seeking unspecified monetary compensation — but he emphasized that his main objective is to push the company to improve safety measures for its passengers, he said.
"Uber hides behind a thin veil of legalese to protect their riders," he said. "Frankly, it's fake."
"The company needs to make substantial changes on how it protects riders," he said.
The complaint, submitted last week in Charleston County Court, argues that the Uber driver "presented an unreasonable danger" and that the company neglected "to establish and uphold adequate safety policies."
On Thursday, Uber issued a statement denouncing the assault but did not explain how Uliumdzhiev managed to bypass its system.
"There is no place for violence on the Uber platform," the company said. "While we can't comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility."
Uber said that it vets drivers through criminal background checks and requires both a Social Security number and a valid driver's license.
