Courtesy Eduardo Madiedo(NEW YORK) — The suspect in an assault on a Lyft driver in Queens has surrendered to New York City authorities, according to a police source.
George Catalano, 36, is charged with reckless endangerment and assault for the incident, which was caught on camera, and is expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon, the source said.
Catalano is the alleged passenger in a May 23 video which shows a man repeatedly punching 36-year-old Lyft driver Eduardo Madiedo from the backseat. The passenger then spewed profanities at Madiedo and attempted to climb into the front seat before exiting the car.
“I was scared for my life,” Madiedo told ABC New York station WABC.
The passenger was accompanied by a woman, and for a majority of the video he is seen lying on her lap. He appears to be in pain and moans loudly multiple times throughout the 12-minute ride.
Madiedo said the pair asked him to drive to a hospital in Queens and the man became extremely agitated after traffic prevented him from speeding up.
“Oh my god,” the male passenger said before the outburst. “I can’t wait in traffic anymore.”
Madiedo was not seriously hurt.
Lyft said it has permanently banned the passenger from its platform.
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