A man is sharing his story to warn others after his Lyft driver brandished a gun, called him a homophobic slur and told him he wants to kill gay people.
Andres Berreondo didn't think twice when he ordered a ride on Lyft Thursday afternoon, which is something he says he usually does.
But this time, he didn't know if he would make it out alive.
Berreondo told NBC 6 he was trying to get to the office of a family friend from his downtown Miami apartment. He put two big boxes in the backseat and had to sit in the passenger seat next to the driver.
"I can tell he was with an attitude, and even from the beginning with this bad energy," he said.
Berreondo said he noticed the driver was not following the GPS maps. That's when he says the man snapped - calling him homophobic slurs.
Then he says he pulled out a gun and told Berreondo, "I want to kill everyone that is gay."
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In tears and in fear for his life, Borreondo called 911.
After about 10 minutes, he says the man finally stopped the car, hitting him as he forced him out.
"I start getting scared and somehow he stops," he said. "He pulled me out like that and kicked me in the leg, I get out of the car.”
He says he wants the man caught and wants Lyft and other services to keep a better eye on who they hire.
“What happened if it was another person? Or what would happen if right now I would be dead?" he said
Lyft said in a statement to NBC 6 that safety is its top priority.
"The safety of our community is Lyft’s top priority, and the behavior described here is unacceptable. There is no place in the Lyft community for discrimination or violence of any kind. As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we permanently deactivated the driver. We have been in contact with the passenger to offer our full support, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation."
Miami police is investigating the incident.
