DeLAND, Fla. – A Volusia County deputy encountered an unusual scene on New Year’s Day when he found a 260-pound intoxicated man lying on top of his 77-year-old Uber driver — both in the driver’s seat of a minivan, body camera video released by the Sheriff’s Office shows.
The deputy was flagged down at 12:43 p.m. by a driver on North Kepler Road who said there were two men were involved in a fight in a Honda minivan up the road.
When the deputy arrived, he found the driver’s side door open with two sets of legs sticking out toward the road. The deputy said he found Michael Garred, 48, face down on top of the 77-year-old Uber driver. Both the victim and suspect had bloody faces, according to the report.
“Help me. Help me, please. Get him off of me,” the driver can be heard saying in the deputy’s body camera video.
The victim later told deputies he is an Uber driver and he was called to pick up Garred on North Kentucky Avenue in DeLand. After he turned onto North Kepler Road, Garred asked him to stop. When the driver pulled over, he said Garred reached up and ”sucker punched” him in the face, according to authorities. Garred then attempted to climb from the rear passenger seat toward the driver seat, according to the victim’s account.
A struggle ensued between the driver and Garred and both men punched each other, according to the arrest report.
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