Kansas Self-Defense: Lyft driver pulls gun on men she says assaulted her, loses job :: 06/01/2017

A local Lyft driver says she was inappropriately touched by passengers and was forced to draw her weapon in self defense.

Now, because of that weapon, Lyft says she can no longer drive for them. Tuesday, she spoke with Eyewitness News about the situation that has her upset.

On her first night driving for Lyft, a woman who asks that we only use her first name, Coumba, decided to take another fare.

"It's Memorial Day Weekend, and people will be out drinking. I can bring people home safe," she says.

Coumba picked up two men who initially told her to just drive. She told them she needed an address.

"Then the other cousin in the back seat told me to just drive to the zoo. It was the middle of the night, so red flags started going off," she says. "Why would they want me to take them to the zoo?"

The men had her drive to a few different places before going back to the original apartment where a third man got into the car.

"He just started saying inappropriate things," Coumba says. Telling me, 'Are you single?' I said I was married."

She says when the men left, she was touched inappropriately by one of them.

"He fondled my breast, and I moved," Coumba says. "I told him, 'You can't do that to me.'"

Then, she says one of the other men did the same thing.

"My gun was right under my lap the whole time," she says. "I drew it and pointed it at him. I told him, 'I'm not afraid to use it.'"

She says she was then able to speed off and call police.

Coumba also called Lyft to tell them what happened. She says the company initially apologized for the incident, but when she woke up for the next day, her driver's account was deactivated due to the company's 'no weapons' policy.

"I mean, they just downplayed it,' she says. Like, 'we are sorry you were in an uncomfortable situation.' I was not in an uncomfortable situation. I was in fear for my life."

She says she wouldn't change a thing about carrying the gun.

"I will keep carrying it because if I didn't have that, I could have possibly lost my life," Coumba says. "Yeah, I'm a strong believer of the Second Amendment."

Eyewitness News reached out to Lyft Tuesday, but have not heard back from the company. On its website, Lyft's weapons policy is clearly stated, saying that if a driver or passenger possesses a weapon in a Lyft vehicle, legal or not, that person will be removed from the platform.

As for Coumba, she says she will go back to being a stay-at-home mom to her young son. She only started driving to get a break and have some adult interaction, she says.

Anyone with information on the suspects in Coumba's case is asked to call police.

http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Lyft-driver-loses-job-after-pulling-weapon-425436004.html