Dallas woman says Lyft driver threatened, harassed her

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A young woman says she's never using Lyft again after a driver threatened and harassed her and called her cell phone more than 40 times after she got out of the car.

The woman wants to warn other people who use the ride-hailing service. She says she's used Lyft several times before without a problem. But it didn't take long after she got into a Lyft on November 6 in Uptown Dallas that the ride took a turn for the worst.

The woman did not want her face shown or her name used. She said she was waiting outside a bar that night when a car pulled up and asked if she was waiting for a Lyft. But as soon as she got into the car, she quickly realized it was the wrong driver. When she spoke up about it, she said the man behind the wheel asked for her phone number instead to arrange payment.

"And as soon as I did, he started becoming extremely inappropriate, making obscene comments," she recalled.

The woman says she asked the Lyft driver to pull over and let her out, but he refused. Instead, she said he asked her to get into his front seat, which she refused.

"He told me he wasn't going to let me out until I exposed myself to him," she said. "I immediately just got out of the car, starting running toward the apartment complex. He got out of the Lyft and came around and started coming after me, saying 'Hey! Get back here!'"

But it didn't end there.

The woman provided screenshots that showed someone calling from the Lyft driver's number and a blocked number more than 40 times. She also showed text messages from that same number that threatened to sue her and find out where she lives.

"I was terrified," she admitted. "I was hoping he wasn't going to keep me in the car, that I was actually going to be able to get out."

Incidents like this one have state lawmakers looking into tougher restrictions on drivers for ride-sharing companies.

State Senator Charles Schwertner of District Five drafted a law that would require third-party background checks and driving histories from potential drivers among other requirements. While the new proposal may not have prevented this incident, lawmakers believe it adds an extra layer of security.

A Lyft representative told FOX 4 they removed the driver as soon as they learned about the incident. Meanwhile, the woman says she filed a police report and is working with police to identify the driver. No arrests have been made.