Lyft Bans Washington Man For 'Racist' Rant & Alleged Refusal To Wear Mask

A Washington state man was banned from using Lyft and fired from his job after he allegedly racist and derogatory language inside a Lyft driver's car, according to KOMO.

Tuesday night (November 17), David Kangogo, the driver, picked up the couple from Malarkey's Sports Grill in Issaquah, Washington. A few minutes into the ride, the man took off his mask and allegedly refused to put it back on. Kangogo then pulled over and ended the ride. Riders are required to wear a mask under Lyft's policy.

Kangogo shared a video of what happened after he ended the ride. It starts with the couple getting kicked out of the vehicle, and the man started hurling racial slurs at the driver. He also threatened to urinate in the car. His "wife can be heard in the background telling him to stop because she is also recording the incident on her phone," reporters said.

She can also be heard saying “we expected a Lyft ride home. That’s what we expected.” Kangogo is heard in the background replying, “just put on your mask.” The Lyft driver then gets back in his car and drives off, and the couple walked away.

Lyft said they saw the video and tweeted this statement: “There is no place for discrimination of any sort in the Lyft community, and this behavior is unacceptable. We have permanently removed the rider from the Lyft community and are in touch with the driver to offer our support.”

The owner of Malarkey's also said the couple is banned from the restaurant. The rider's employer, Wilbur-Ellis, announced on social media that the ride has been fired from his job.

"Today we learned of a disturbing video that portrayed disgusting racist comments by one of our employees. His employment has been terminated effective immediately. Wilbur-Ellis stands against racism in all its forms," the company wrote.

While Issaquah police are aware of the incident, they can't start an investigation until Kangogo reports it to them.

Photo: Getty Images


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