Man 'tried to strangle female driver with her niqab' when she delivered him food
'He's grabbing me and trying to choke me with my own niqab. I kept telling that man I've got kids,' says Sonya King
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Your support makes all the difference.A female food delivery driver has claimed a customer tried to strangle her by grabbing her niqab.
Sonya King, who works for a restaurant delivery service called DoorDash, said she was making a delivery at a house in northwest Atlanta when Rick Painter assaulted her.
Ms King said he told her he would give her a cash tip as she headed towards the door.
"In the process of him going through his wallet, he said, 'Oh and by the way I'm Jesus'," she told local Channel 2 Action News.
She continued walking to the door when she claimed she felt the 54-year-old come from behind and grab her head scarf.
"He's grabbing me and trying to choke me with my own niqab. I kept telling that man I've got kids. In the midst of me fighting him, he's grabbing my head. He thought he was Jesus, but Jesus wouldn't do that to nobody,” she said.
According to the news station, she used her finger to poke his eye and her car keys to fight back.
"In the midst of me stabbing this man, he's saying, 'Aw this feels good'," Ms King said.
She added: "He seemed normal. Anybody would have went in.”
Police are said to have arrested Mr Painter after Ms King called 911.
"By the love of Allah, I knew he was not going to allow that man to kill a believer," Ms King said.
After medics treated Mr Painter’s injuries, authorities charged him with battery, according to the local channel.
A spokesperson for DoorDash said: "DoorDash takes the safety of its community extremely seriously for Dashers, consumers and merchants. We do not tolerate violence in any form.
“After learning of this incident, DoorDash took action to deactivate the consumer’s account pending a full investigation.
"DoorDash is prepared to cooperate with law enforcement to enable them to take swift, appropriate action."