Uber driver pepper sprayed by passenger disturbing New York attack claims passengers admitted vile racist motive

An Uber driver in New York has been subjected to an unprovoked pepper spray attack by a passenger which he believes was racially motivated .

Dash cam footage showing the assault, which took place on July 31 inside a vehicle on Lexington Avenue near East 65th Street in Manhattan , shows Shohel Mahmoud in the driver's seat while two women sit in the back.

Out of the blue, one of the female passengers, now known as 23 year old Jennifer Guilbeault, leans over and sprays the father-of-three in the face with pepper spray before grasping his arm as he attempts to stop her , reports CBS.

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After being pepper-sprayed, Mahmoud is seen unfastening his seat belt and leaping from the car . It is still in motion, though, so he gets back in. As he does so, Guilbeault moves to take over the driving.

Eventually, Mahmoud stops the car and steps out again , while the other woman pulls Guilbeault back. In the commotion, Guilbeault is heard demanding, "Get him out of this car. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out."

If you can't see the video above, click here .

The woman then gets out the vehicle and stands roadside by the passenger side door . Speaking to CBS New York, Mahmoud said: "I tried to save myself first," before questioning, "Then I asked, 'Why you do it? Why you do it?"

In the video, the woman's friend also repeatedly questions Guilbeault, "Why did you do that?" According to Mahmoud, Guilbeault's response to her friend was: "He's brown."

The passengers gather their belongings and exit the vehicle , stating: "We have to go." Guilbeault was subsequently apprehended and now faces assault charges.

An Uber spokesperson said: "The rider's actions shown in the video are deplorable. Violence is not tolerated , and the rider has been banned from the Uber platform. We will support police in their investigation however we can."

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Mahmoud, who drives for Uber full-time, noted that the pepper spray has left stubborn stains on his minivan's driver-side door. On his injuries, he said: " My shoulder has muscle pain, there's that, and I'm mentally not okay ."

Mahmoud is contemplating installing a barrier between himself and his passengers like those found in regular taxis. He went on: "That is far more better because drivers are not gonna be harassed like this."

The executive director of the city's Uber and taxi driver union issued a statement: "This is such a gross, racist violent attack . The DA needs to prosecute using both anti-hate crime and taxi driver protection laws against this racist assailant.

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"Uber needs to start showing respect to drivers to ensure their safety , because the perception is, all you'll get is an account ban and a slap on the wrist for attacking , and in this case, almost blinding an Uber driver.

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"That's why too many hateful people think they can get away with assaulting a driver even when the company knows who you are and there are cameras in the cars."

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