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Grand Haven Uber driver issues warning after harrowing ride caught on camera

Posted at 10:36 PM, Sep 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-04 22:36:46-04

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. -- An Uber driver near the lakeshore is warning others about a problem passenger who harassed her over the weekend.

The incident was caught on Cindi Chute's dash camera.  She says she got the camera for her safety, but now calls it her saving grace.

The ride happened just after midnight Sunday, a routine trip that turned into an incident Chute wishes had never happened.

"I've been all over the place and never had an incident like this," Chute said.

Chute said everything seemed fine when she first picked up an apparently intoxicated man near downtown Grand Haven.

"It was all good, and we were having a good friendly conversation, having fun," she said.

Getting intoxicated passengers home safely part of her job, Chute said, but what happened next isn't.

"I got to his destination to drop him off is when he made, he asked me for sexual favors," she said. "I said, 'I'm married,' and he said basically 'Eff you' to me."

In the video, the man touches Chute's cheek as he's getting out of the car and asks for a kiss and hug.

After he was gone, Chute immediately called her husband. In the video, Chute says, "I had a problem rider. He almost wouldn't get out of my car."

Chute just wants other drivers to be aware of who is in their cars.

"For your safety, please have a dash cam in your car," she said.  "I'm coming forward so that other Uber drivers and other people in our community are aware of this person and watch out for him."

Chute says she also filed a police report but has decided not to press charges.

An Uber spokesperson released a statement Tuesday:

"The behavior reported is not tolerated on the Uber app and has no place anywhere. We have permanently removed this rider's access to Uber."