A Kennesaw State University lecturer allegedly assaulted and shouted racial epithets at an Uber driver in Dunwoody, Ga., television station WSB reported on Wednesday.
The passenger’s attorney said her client “was mortified” and “deeply ashamed and sorry for the derogatory language he used towards Mr. Stober during the episode.” The attorney also said her client suffered from alcoholism, WSB reported.
The part-time driver, Chiddi Stober, who is also a history teacher in Rockdale County (Ga.), told WSB he’d picked up a customer from a restaurant who allegedly became abusive and refused to get out of the car.
Stober told the station that when he realized “it was just getting from bad to worse,” he decided to call 911.
In the background of the emergency call, which WSB obtained audio of, the customer can be heard telling the driver “f*ck you,” using the n-word and saying “go back to slavery, man.”
Stober can be heard calmly telling the dispatcher that the customer “just assaulted me, just punched me in the face.”
Stober provided a more detailed account of the assault during an interview with WSB.
“That’s the point where he hit me, he reached forward, he was sitting right behind me, that’s the point where he hit me right then,” Stober said.
Dunwoody police are conducting an investigation into the alleged assault, according to WSB. Because charges had not been filed, the television station did not release the lecturer’s name.
Kennesaw State University told WSB, via a spokesperson, that it was waiting for the results of the police investigation.
Uber banned the customer from using the site, the station reported.
“This rider’s behavior was absolutely despicable and we apologize to our valued partner for having to endure such unacceptable treatment,” an Uber spokesperson told the station in a statement. “Immediately upon learning of the incident, we permanently banned the rider’s access to the Uber platform and we stand ready to assist the authorities.”
Listen the audio of the 911 call below, courtesy of WSB:
“That’s not who I am,” the lecturer will soon add. Tearfully, at a press conference with black people to prove it.
I’m in academia, and I guess I should be way past being shocked when academics act this way, but I’m still embarrassed. I’m impressed by the uber driver’s calm in the face of such provocation and actual assault. Don’t know much about Kennesaw State, but hope there are some consequences for this behavior on the part of their employee.
From the headline, I was expecting a story about a professor berating a student who was also an Uber driver in class, with the analogy that driving for them was like slavery. Bad headline and silly story.
Perhaps we should ask the Supreme Court, who ruled that we’re now post-racial, if this event actually occurred.
KSU is a suburban commuter campus. It’s a solid state university for the right student.