SAN DIEGO -- A Lyft driver says his smartphone may to be to blame for a violent attack he endured in Mission Valley Monday night.
The attack occurred near the Marriott Mission Valley in the 400 block of Hotel Circle South at about 10:20 p.m. Harry Gillung’s Toyota Prius was pulled over on the side of a dark street and he was killing time on his phone while waiting for another Lyft fare.
“I wasn't paying attention and someone did this on the front of my car,” he explained to 10News Wednesday.
The damage is still there. He says two men in hoodies approached his car from opposite sides.
“I reached over to make sure I hit my door lock, and by accident, I hit my window button.”
The men tried pulling him out of the window while shouting at him.
“This is for real. We want your “effin” stuff. We want your “effin” money.”
They pistol whipped him three times, once on the head and twice in the face.
“’You guys are going to kill me over nothing,’ is what I remember saying to them.”
In the heat of the moment, one thought raced through his head.
“Something just kept telling me, don't let them get you out of the car,” Gillung recalled. “The whole thing was over probably in a minute, but that's probably a long time.”
The men grabbed $40 from his wallet and took off running. Police were able to get fingerprints from the hood the car, but so far, no arrests.
“On this side, I got I think seven stiches over the eyelid,” Gillung explained, pointing to his injuries.
He has a warning for everyone.
“You think you're in a safe spot, and you lose yourself in your phone, and you're unaware of your surroundings,” he said. “When you are in that mode, you are vulnerable.”
Gillung says Lyft called Wednesday to check up on him.
