'I Don't Feel Safe Anymore': Woman Claims Uber Driver Lunged At Her, Shoved Tongue In Mouth

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A woman says her Uber ride ended in shock as she was left fighting off an attack allegedly by her driver.

Kris Brix says she's always liked the ride-sharing company because it's fast and cheap.

But, she says, she no longer feels safe alone at night with the drivers.

The final straw was in the early morning hours last Saturday. She says she took an Uber from the Redondo Beach Pier to her parked car in Marina del Rey.

But, she says, when she got out, the driver did too.

"He lunged at me, grabbed me, started smashing his face, his mouth onto my mouth and shoving his tongue into my mouth. And I shoved him off me and I'm shouting, 'No! No,' " she said.

She said he did that twice before allowing her to leave. Brix says she reported it to both Uber and police, who both say they're investigating.

"I was kind of just shocked by the whole experience," she said.

Uber said in a statement:

"The behavior described is disturbing and is not tolerated. The driver has been banned from the platform, and we will work with law enforcement to support their investigation."

CBS2 found another recently reported assault. A Los Angeles actress appears to have sent a tweet to Uber, saying: "Driver just assaulted me and threw me in the side of the highway. Please respond."

Uber Support tweeted back that they're looking into it. The company says they have yet to talk with the woman directly.

"These people are not being vetted properly," said Brix, who takes issue with Uber's background checks, which don't include fingerprinting.

She says this was the second time she has had an issue. The first time, she says, she tried to brush it off.

Brix says she plans to take a Taxi should she need a ride in the future.

"I used to think that Uber was safe, and I do not feel that it is safe at all," she said.

The company says this is the first report of its kind about the driver, who started driving with them last year. He has since been banned from the ride-hailing service.