Police Issue Warrant For Lyft Rider Accused Of Robbing, Assaulting Driver

A local rideshare driver has a warning for other drivers. Oklahoma City Police said Renee Martin was recently robbed by force and assaulted by a rider. The suspect also allegedly threatened Martin with a gun. 

Martin identified the robbery suspect from a photo lineup, and investigators have issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.

A normal evening of ridesharing recently turned into a life-changing experience for Martin. She was picking up a passenger only identified as the letter "K" on the Lyft app at a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex.

“She gets in the truck, and she just reeks of marijuana,” Renee Martin, robbery victim, said. “I said, ‘ma’am I’m sorry I’m going to roll the windows down.’”

Martin said the woman became agitated and started yelling at her.  

“As soon as I told her I canceled the ride, she just started punching me in the side of the head,” Martin said. “Grabbing my phone, snatching to the point she actually broke the charger off in my phone.”

Police said the suspect threatened Martin's life with a gun and then took off with her phone and other belongings.

“Had actually made some threatening statements that the suspect was going to shoot the driver,” Sgt. Dillon Quirk, with the Oklahoma City Police Department, said.  

Martin drove to a nearby OnCue store where employees called 911.

“Lyft has their quote unquote safety for the passenger but what about the driver?,” Martin said. “Riders like her think they can do what they want and get away with it.”  

Investigators were able to identify the suspect after she was caught on camera selling Martin's phone at a kiosk inside a metro Walmart.

Lyft sent News 9 a statement saying in part "The behavior described has no place on the Lyft platform." The spokesperson said the suspect's account had been permanently removed from the Lyft community.

Martin said she was done with the rideshare business due to what she said was a lack of safety and concern for drivers.

“It’s just a free for all,” Martin said.  

The suspect does have a history of violence and charges not only in Oklahoma but several other states. At last check, the suspect was not in custody.