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A biotech CEO is taking Uber to court after an illegal immigrant driver was caught on camera violently assaulting him in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, sending his dog crashing to the pavement.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Charleston County, alleges TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel, 45, suffered a concussion in April after Uber driver and illegal Russian national Uliumdzhiev Vadim Nikolaevich, 42, attacked him in a King Street restaurant parking lot.
Nikolaevich was arrested and released on a $10,000 bond for second-degree assault and battery, according to Charleston County Sheriff’s Office records.
He was later placed on an immigration hold after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Georgia, according to Kobel’s attorneys.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Kobel said the driver appeared to be upset about his service dog. When Nikolaevich refused to allow the pet, Kobel asked to cancel the ride.
Surveillance footage shows Nikolaevich getting out of an Audi SUV, grabbing Kobel by the throat and headbutting and punching him, knocking the unconscious CEO and his dog to the ground.
Nikolaevich quickly got back into the car and drove away, as stunned witnesses called 911 and rushed to help, footage showed.
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“I can’t even look. Oh my God,” a female caller said in a 911 call minutes after the attack. “The suspect has driven off.”
Another male 911 caller detailed the bloody scene.
“He’s bleeding very badly in the back of the head,” the man said. “We’re going to need an ambulance. Send the police. … There’s a gazillion witnesses.”
Kobel was taken to the hospital with a severe concussion and received seven staples for a head laceration, according to his attorneys. Kobel said a nurse and doctor affiliated with MUSC Health University Medical Center quickly rendered aid, ensuring the best outcome.
However, unlike Kobel, Nikolaevich’s night was not over after the attack. Kobel said he picked up a new ride two minutes after speeding off.
“This man violently assaults me, leaves me effectively bleeding out from my head in a parking lot, speeds off and picks somebody up two minutes later,” Kobel said. “When I left the hospital, my account had been suspended, and within 48 hours, it had been deactivated. Despite me sharing hospital records, police records, the detective’s name and phone number and images of the assault, Uber chose to effectively victim-blame me and vilify me.”
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Authorities later told Kobel that Nikolaevich’s driver’s license was fake, and he was a Russian national living in the U.S. illegally.
“Riders rely on Uber to know who is behind the wheel,” Kenneth Berger, Kobel’s attorney, wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We’re seeking answers and accountability for how an undocumented individual using a fraudulent ID was able to access Uber’s platform, assault a passenger and flee. Publicly traded companies that profit from public trust must have screening and real-time identity systems that actually protect people.”
The suit alleges that, as a direct result of Nikolaevich’s conduct while working for Uber and Raiser, Kobel suffered serious injuries and losses, including lost enjoyment of life, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and medical expenses.
“It was about 60 days before I could really have some semblance of a normal life,” Kobel said. “I had to bring our employees into a Zoom call and inform them of what had happened. … I couldn’t look at screens. I couldn’t really focus my eyes. … I had a complete loss of vocabulary. You wonder, will I ever be whole again Am I ever going to be the person I was? It’s made me more jaded, for sure.”
Attorneys claim the rideshare giant is negligent in screening, hiring and monitoring drivers, leading to safety risks for its riders.
“Uber let a wolf into the henhouse,” Kobel said. “They allowed a man who was in a country illegally, a Russian national with a fake license, go through their background check and snake his way in and then have what was nothing more than a violent outburst for no reason.”
DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The Charleston Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing pending litigation. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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