By Brad Dress
For The Diamondback
A group of individuals assaulted and robbed a driver from a ride-sharing company near the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center Thursday night, according to police reports.
The seven individuals — whose affiliation is unknown — requested service from a ride-sharing company, and when the driver pulled up in front of Xfinity Center, they assaulted and robbed him, police spokeswoman Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas said.
The driver was waiting in his SUV in Lot UU at about 10:45 p.m. to pick up a woman who requested a pickup from his ride-sharing company, Hoaas said. The woman entered the front passenger side of the car, and the remaining six individuals filed into the back, Hoaas said.
The driver protested, saying there were too many people in the car and that he would not drive them all, Hoaas said. A man in the back seat then punched the driver, who got out of the car and threatened to call the police, she said.
The same man followed the driver out of the car and punched him again, Hoaas said. The group then fled east on Regents Drive toward the Biomolecular Sciences Building, she said.
The man’s injuries are not severe, and he was not transported to a hospital, Hoaas said. The individuals also stole an electronic device in the incident, she said.
University Police responded to the report — initially filed as a robbery — at 10:59 p.m. and secured the area by 12:36 a.m., Hoaas said.
Police are searching for the suspects and a motive in the incident, and a video review is underway, Hoaas said.
