Woman escapes alleged kidnapping attempt by Nashville Lyft driver, police report states
The victim told officers that the driver covered his mouth and nose when gas came out of a cup holder which had a sweet smell to it.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A California woman was able to escape an alleged kidnapping attempt by a Lyft driver in Nashville last week, according to a police report.
The police report states that officers responded to a call in the 600 block of Murfreesboro Pike after a report of an attempted kidnapping on Jan. 15.
Due to the victim living in California and no longer being in Nashville, investigators spoke to her over the phone about the alleged incident. The victim said that she was in a Lyft downtown and during the ride, the driver put a sweatshirt over his mouth and nose to cover himself.
That’s when the victim said she saw a gas like substance come out of a cup holder which she said had a sweet smell to it. The victim said that she wasn’t able to talk after smelling some of the gas and that the driver kept watching her in the mirror of the car.
She told investigators that she felt like she was going to pass out. That’s when she held her breath, opened the car door and took off running to a nearby hotel where she waited for a friend to pick her up.
The victim said that she called Lyft to report the driver, although, she wasn’t sure if the name she gave them was his or not. She also said that the driver was using a silver SUV but she didn’t know the make or model of the car.
The Metro Nashville Police Department is working with Lyft to attempt to identify the driver.
WSMV4 has reached out to Lyft for comment on this reported incident and has yet to hear back at the publishing of this article.
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In a viral video on TikTik, the victim in this reported incident warned women in and visiting Nashville of her experience.
She explained in the video what happened in her reported attempted kidnapping in similar detail to the police report she gave.
“I breathed in the slightest amount, I’m not even kidding, like a little, little breath in and immediately felt tingles all through my body,” she said. “It literally felt like everything just like ‘zoom’, like everything was slowing down, and it felt like I was about to pass out.”
She said she was able to stumble out of the car at a red light and ask a woman for help. She said she was hesitant to share her story but said if it helps even one girl stay alert then it’ll be worth it.
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