Shocking moment an Uber driver is forced to use pepper spray on drunk passenger who violently attacked him

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An Uber taxi driver was forced to use pepper spray on a drunk passenger who violently attacked him - and the whole incident was caught on camera.

Driver Edward Caban was driving the man around Newport Beach, California, on Friday night just after 8pm.

Caban uploaded the footage to YouTube to share what happened, adding that 'Uber drivers don't get paid enough to deal with this s***.'

A shocking video shows the moment an Uber driver was forced to use pepper spray on a drunk passenger who violently attacked him

As he explains in the video's description, he got a ping while in Newport Beach to pick up a passenger near Baja Sharkeez Mexican restaurant and bar on the peninsula in Newport.

Caban described the passenger, who Abc7 say police have named as Benjamin Golden, 32, of Newport Beach, as 'incredibly intoxicated' and he refused to provide his full address.

'He refused and insisted on telling me where to turn,' says Caban.

Caban recounts how the man begins fading in and out of consciousness while become 'belligerent', 'aggressive', and 'refusing to put his seat belt on'.

Driver Edward Caban picked up the man in Newport Beach, California, on Friday night just after 8pm and is seen flipping his camera around when he realises the man is 'intoxicated' 

Caban uploaded the video to YouTube and explained in an accompanying description how the man, seen in a red cap, was fading in and out of consciousness while become belligerent and aggressive, whilst refusing to put his seat belt on

After the passenger refused to tell the driver his address, Caban pulled into a well-lit car park and asked him to get out of the vehicle. It was at this point that the passenger can be seen viciously attacking Caban

The passenger can be seen slapping him, beating him over the head and dragging him backwards by his hair

The passenger apparently persistently swore at Caban, telling him to 'f****** turn this piece of s*** around.'

'I didn't feel comfortable when I picked him up and no longer wanted him in the car at this point,' he adds.

Caban then grabbed the pepper spray and put it under his right thigh. At this point, he flipped his camera to face the car rather than the road.

He said: 'As I always do when my spidey senses start tingling, I made a u-turn, then pulled into a nearby well lit shopping center, and asked him to get out of the car. 

'He insisted on continuing, even though I had already ended the ride. We went back and fourth a bit before I told him if he didn't get out I would call the police.'

The passenger apparently persistently swore at Caban, telling him to 'f****** turn this piece of s*** around'

Caban breaks free and sprays his face with pepper spray until he got out of the car

It was at this point that the passenger can be seen viciously attacking Caban, slapping him, beating him over the head and dragging him backwards by his hair.

Caban managed to break free from his grip and spray his face with pepper spray until he got out of the car, at which point Caban also left the vehicle.

'Yeah, that's what happens,' Caban says as he follows the passenger. 'You got maced, motherf*****'.

'Uber drivers don't get paid enough to deal with this s***,' he concluded. 

The man then leaves the vehicle and can be seen rubbing his eyes. Caban also gets out, follows him, and can be heard saying: 'Yeah, that's what happens. You got maced, motherf*****'

Speaking to Abc7, Caban said: 'I didn't think something like this would happen this early in the night. That's why I stopped driving 2 a.m. shifts, for this very reason.'

The driver, who says he doesn't feel safe working for Uber, is on the hunt for a new job.

He explained that he had a camera in his vehicle due to issues he has had with other passengers. This was, however, the first time he had been attacked.  

Abc7 reports that the man was arrested at the scene, charged with assault on a cab driver and public intoxication.