Uber Driver Accused Of Robbery Says He's The Victim

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An Uber driver accused of threatening to attack a passenger and stealing his mobile phone said he is the real victim.

Medhanie Meshesha said a security video showing him holding a big piece of stone and threatening his passenger does not tell the whole story.

CJ Yu, seen on the footage backing away from Meshesha, didn't make good on a promise after leaving his cellphone in his car, Meshesha claimed.

"If you have a store, and somebody grabbed from your store and ran, what do you do in this situation? You grab anything to help you bring your stuff back. That's what happened to me," the driver insisted.

Meshesha drove for Uber last Saturday. CJ Yu was one of his passengers. Yu left his phone in the car and called Meshesha, who agreed to return it to him.

Meshesha said he wanted Yu to pay for the trip to return the phone through Uber, but Yu insisted on paying cash.

Meshesha said Yu did not pay up and also did not pay for his ride home after getting the phone.

"He didn't pay me for the money that he promised to give me $40. He didn't pay me for the ride. He didn't request me," Meshesha recalled.

After Meshesha threatened Yu with the stone, he followed Yu, swiped his phone and bolted back to his car. Yu chased him.

"At the end, I took the phone back because I didn't get my fair ride," the driver insisted.

Los Angeles police arrested Meshesha on a robbery charge. He was jailed and released.

The city attorney said it's unlikely the case will go anywhere due to lack of evidence.

The driver admitted he should have handled the situation better. "I didn't control my temper. But everybody do a mistake," Meshesha said.

The driver, who has been banned from driving for Uber, said he won't try to appeal.

Earlier this week, Yu insisted he did offer to give the driver a $40 reward as he promised.

Yu did eventually get his phone back.