Shocking video shows CEO with service dog being knocked out by illegal Russian Uber driver

“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, who is the CEO of a biotech company, suffered a concussion, amnesia, and scarring— and soon learned from cops the driver had gotten the Uber job with a fake license, he said.

“Uber has to take more accountability for its drivers,” he said. “They’re opening the door to mayhem.”

Kobel said he had just asked the driver if his service dog was allowed in the car and the driver responded “no.”

When he told the driver to cancel the ride, in an interaction Kobel described as “innocuous,” the driver attacked him — and his memory went black, Kobel said.

An onlooker is shown in footage snapping a photo of Uliumdzhiev’s driver’s plate, and a dramatic 911 call ensued.

“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.

Uliumdzhiev was later arrested for assault and battery, records show. Immigration and Customs Enforcement then placed a hold on him, and he was transferred to a federal ICE processing center in Folkston, Ga., after posting a $10,000 bond for the assault, the Post and Courier noted.

In the weeks that followed, Kobel struggled to remember words and stumbled over phrases due to his brain injury.

“My job involves a lot of public speaking and I was unsure whether I would be able to do that again,” he said.

“I wondered, “Am I ever going to be the person I was before, and that’s a very scary thought,” he said.

Kobel is now suing Uber for unspecified financial damage — but his ultimate goal is to get the company to better protect its riders, 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 lawsuit, filed last week in Charleston County Court, notes the Uber driver “posed an unreasonable risk of harm” and that Uber failed “to implement and enforce reasonable safety policy.”

Uber sent a statement condemning the attack on Thursday, but didn’t specify how Uliumdzhiev slipped through the cracks.

“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 added that it screens drivers with a criminal background check and requiring a social security number and driver’s license.

The firm didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s questions about whether it plans to change any of its policies around the screenings.

That was brutal.

The guy could have died from that head injury, and it would have been manslaughter, rather than assault.

Dollface thread.

When Silicon Valley said "move fast, break things" I wish they would have specified that it was limited to inanimate objects.

Is the service dog a rescue dog?

Deport him; he’s an illegal…

The CEO can't take "no" for an answer. Goldendoodles aren't service animals. The driver didn't want dog hair or worse in his vehicle. The CEO is clearly "abled" enough to hold his dog.

The CEO's experience: "he led deal origination and structuring, as well as leading the sales efforts for transactions". He's a salesman.

R7 That punch looked serious and I hope the guy is ok. But yes, the service animal question is a sketchy one because there are so many people who deceptively justify taking pets into restricted spaces under the mantle of “service animal”.

[quote] The driver didn't want dog hair or worse in his vehicle

The driver was working ILLEGALLY in the U.S., and used a fake license to get the job.

Dog hair in his vehicle is the LEAST of his problems.

Hopefully, he'll be deported now, due to his assault charges.

R10: Your high dudgeon is hilarious. Of course he shouldn't have beat up this privileged asshole and he's undocumented but to get on your high horse is ludicrous. To paraphrase the old joke about lawyers--well, it's a start. The world doesn't need any more glorified salesmen posing as disabled people.

R10 Yes, that driver needs to go. I’m curious if the victim will land a high value settlement. UBER and enterprises like this tend to cap settlements at modest amounts like $50k, and they often say that the dispute is between the driver and passenger. But I think with UBER Premium and UBER Black, the drivers carry livery insurance that may offer better protection. Still, UBER’s connection to this driver will be studied. They may state that he had no legal or tangible connection to the enterprise, but was merely an imposter and solely accountable for any damages. The CEO’s comments about memory loss, confusion, etc, sound like they’re aimed at a large settlement.

I know a few people injured in accidents while using rideshare applications, one whose back was broken. All of them received really tiny, nominal settlements. Some were told “we’re simply an application, not a company”.

Also, their own insurance was considered primary and then the rideshare’s insurance was considered secondary, and paid out only small amounts. It’s a bad situation for passengers injured this way.

Russians are all criminals and drunks. They should all be deported. When will you get to them, KKKristi?

Insane driver, but it’s also insane to repeat “CEO” as if that makes the rider a superior human being. Insanity everywhere.

Forget it, Boris. It’s South Carolina.

[quote] Forget it, Boris. It’s South Carolina.

I believe this happened in New York.

The CEO is from South Carolina.

The joke remains the same.

Thx

[quote] The CEO can't take "no" for an answer. Goldendoodles aren't service animals. The driver didn't want dog hair or worse in his vehicle. The CEO is clearly "abled" enough to hold his dog.

The CEO took “no” for an answer just fine. He cancelled the uber and was moving on. This guy came over and attacked him for no good reason.

Why are you misrepresenting the situation like this?

R19, it seems like that poster hates the victim since he's a CEO and he's indifferent to the details of the story.

Or he's a Russian bot.

I don't drive and when I have to take a dog to the vet, I use Lyft, always specifying that I have a dog. Manyt drivers turn the fare down. The ones who accept comment on how cute and well behaved my dog is. Problem solved. I think the victim had a perfect right to have a dog with him, and the driver was free to refuse him. Everything else suggests criminality and mental illness. Once or twice, I've had to take the dog on a bus--it was a near empty--and the rules are she has to be on a carrier or on my lap. Fine. The dog loved it

R1, true. God, don't we get enough of them already?!

That was meant for R21

[quote] Forget it, Boris. It’s South Carolina.

[quote] I believe this happened in New York.

Whoops, it did happen in Charleston, South Carolina.

Got confused because the article was from the New York Post.

That [italic]Maison[/italic] restaurant he was at looks pretty good. The prices aren't bad for a "French Bistro."

Now Boris can fret about dog hair in his cage in Alligator Alcatraz.

I mean, if you're working with a stolen license and no papers, don't make waves by committing felony assault in broad daylight. Does this guy even criminal?

R25 who’s the idiot now 🤔

I wonder if OP is the same NYPost Troll who continually posts trash about "the horrors of illegal immigrants."

[Quote] this privileged asshole

Does it soothe, blaming your failures on successful people, dear?

cunts

[quote] Deport him; he’s an illegal…

Deportation is for migrants here illegally. This Russian thug needs to be imprisoned for his crime and then deported.

"Deport him; he’s an illegal…"

No. Just the dark ones.

Come on. He's white and Russian. He won't do any time or be deported.

Is uncut?

All will be forgiven

[quote] Come on. He's white and Russian.

He looks chinese to me.

Probably Russian from one of the "Stans."

Why is this on DL?

Is the victim a gay? Or is OP just stirring the anti-immigrant shitpot again?

CEOs are important and sometimes wealthy people. They should be protected more than your average peasant.

Deport a white Russian illegal?

Let me check with Vlad first

I broke my wrist and elbow and couple of months ago and had to have reconstructive surgery, so for the first time I had to use Door Dash for practically everything. After dozens of deliveries, I'd say at least 50% of the drivers are Russian (with a few Ukrainians interspersed) and have terrible English language skills both verbal and reading (they use the translation function to text). I've wondered how many are here legally (and why they drive very nice newer model cars), especially after seeing delivery drivers in DC yanked from their cars and tackled off mopeds.

Service dog my ass.

[quote]Kobel said he had just asked the driver if his service dog was allowed in the car and the driver responded “no.”

I feel like if I had a legit service dog, I would not be asking if it was allowed in an Uber. I might have a strategy for dealing with unconvinced/reluctant waiters, shopkeepers, drivers, etc., but that wouldn’t be it. Also, I don’t think a service dog would walk away after person was knocked down.

It’s interesting to me that this guy is highlighting the service dog aspect of the incident, since it isn’t important and it only turns people against him. Why mention it? I know the driver is in the wrong, but I just can’t get 100% behind the victim because the “service dog” thing makes him seem like such an ass.

An illegal RUSSIAN, so I’m sure he now has a job somewhere in Dump’s administration. Maybe an ICE agent.

Uber has become increasingly sketchy with who might be your driver. Take caution.

A month ago my husband called an Uber for a 25 minute ride to EWR (Newark airport). A male driver with high reviews was shown to be on his way. The vehicle pulled up, and the driver was female but the vehicle matched, and time was ticking re: his flight departure so he got in. Turns out she spoke zero English and refused to drive on highways. My husband tried his best to ask her then demand that she take highway routes that he tried to divert her onto. She refused and murmured in another language and continued toddling down various side streets all the way to and across Newark. He made his flight with literal seconds to spare. Beyond stressful. We don’t normally want to make things difficult for immigrants, but that was so egregious that he reported them to Uber and escalated the complaint to make sure they removed him from the platform.

p.s. meant to add, it gradually became apparent on the NJ side streets that her driving skills were also alarming, which is probably why she avoided highways.

I have preemptively pardoned the very fine Uber driver

the driver is a menace to society. the ceo is an entitled cunt taking a "service dog" with him everywhere. Why does a CEO need a constant "service dog". The mind boggles.

You're hired!

I always use Uber Black, Premium or Premier, but even then I sometimes get an odd driver arriving in a Tesla. And many of them fiddle and fuck around with the giant screen instead of watching the road.

One driver wanted to impress me by showing how the Tesla’s automatic braking worked. He said “watch this!” as we merged onto a highway, then pressed the accelerator hard. The car lurched forward fast into the rear of a tracker trailer. I heard some chimes and remember the nose of the Tesla diving down and smoke appearing from the tires, but in fact we stopped with some understeer into the breakdown lane. Luckily no one was behind us, or we would have been rear-ended. I was pretty freaked out.