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Lyft Driver Attacked Near Sacramento International Airport

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A Lyft driver was attacked near the Sacramento International Airport early Tuesday morning.

The incident happened just after 2 a.m. near the ampm on Airport Boulevard. Police say the attack was random and did not involve a passenger.

The driver, Matthew Davis, says the man came out of nowhere. He said someone attacked him with a stick and shattered the passenger rear-window of his car.

Davis is covered in scratches and bruises, his window shattered - after the attack.

"This happened during the tussle I don't know if it's from him grabbing me or when he hit me with a stick," Davis said.

According to a spokesperson for Lyft, Davis was logged in to the Lyft app but not matched to a passenger at the time of the attack. The company told CBS13, "Safety is fundamental to Lyft and the behavior described is deeply concerning. Upon learning of the incident, we immediately reached out to the driver to offer our support."

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After a short scuffle with the driver, the suspect ran away, but Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputies were able to track the suspect down.

The attack is a reminder to other rideshare drivers their safety is at risk.

"We spend a lifetime teaching our children not to get in cars with strangers but yet we are picking up strangers in our car," said Lyft and Uber driver Timothy Beeman.

Drivers are able to call 911 through the Lyft App, which will display the driver's current location and car information.

Authorities have not released the name of the suspect.

The Sacramento Sheriff's office says an attack like this is pretty rare. In the last six months, they've responded to the area around the gas station seven times, but all of those calls had nothing to do with a violent attack, mostly people loitering.

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