Atlanta sports reporter maced in altercation with Uber driver over air conditioning; driver claims self-defense 

What started out as an Uber pickup from the Atlanta airport turned into a melee on the side of the interstate—over AC and the requirements of a Comfort car.

A recent Uber trip turned into a ride from Hell and an all out brawl after a reporter for both the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Dream requested a ride home.

The incident was so wild that it’s not only gone viral, but also may inspire her to pick up a Waymo self-driving car or a rental next time.

That conclusion, mind you, doesn’t even matter whose side of the story you believe: it was all bad for both the driver or the passenger.

Peep game. 

According to Atlanta’s FOX5, On Saturday, June 21, Tabitha Turner, a sports analyst and reporter for Atlanta’s basketball teams requested an Uber from the Atlanta airport. Uber driver Mericole Smith picked up Turner from the Atlanta airport around 3:40pm. According to Turner, she requested a Comfort ride through the app, which according to Uber means that the rider is matched with a highly rated, experienced driver with a newer vehicle and proper legroom, and can let the driver know if they’d prefer to chat or not, and choose from 4 temperature presets. The temperature preset request is a cornerstone of this story. And also, where things took a turn. 

Shortly after being picked up by Smith, in what is supposed to be an Uber Comfort ride, Turner allegedly asked for the windows to be rolled up and the AC to be turned on. Now according to Smith, who shared her side of the story in a TikTok video, she turned on the AC but did leave the windows cracked and because it didn’t get comfortable enough quickly enough, Turner allegedly became irate (and recorded) leading Smith to first intend to take Turner back to the airport but because of Turner’s irateness, she pulled over on the side of the road on I-85 in Hapeville (which is technically where the airport is located) and requested for Turner to get out of the car. You really need to watch her retelling.

Either way, she got back in her car at some point when she alleges that Turner refused to get out of the Uber without a refund or the police being called before (again allegedly) Turner moved to pull something out of her bag at which point Smith pepper-sprayed her (she keeps saying mace in the video), got out of the car and then they got into a tussle on the side of the highway. The fight resulted in injuries to Smith that required stitches on her eye. 

Woo. Sah. 

For her part, Turner tells a different story. Turner said that she ordered a Comfort Uber. When Smith asked the Uber driver to roll up the window, she allegedly became irate and pulled over into the emergency lane on the side of the highway, attempting to and intending to put her out on the side of the highway. At that point, she refused to do leading Smith to mace her, and then assault her on the side of the road, which led to Smith’s injuries. Another motorist on the highway witnessed the altercation and called 911. Turner’s video was reviewed by Hapeville Police leading authorities to identify Smith, the Uber driver, as the aggressor and she has since been charged with simple battery and assault. A warrant was issued for her arrest. 

The story doesn’t stop there though. After Smith, the Uber driver posted her version of events, Turner tearfully explained that she’s been getting threats and harassment online as she claims Smith has been providing misinformation and a misleading version of the story. 

“Pulling over on the expressway with cars speeding by, telling me to get out with my bags—it’s not a reasonable request,” said Turner. “I have a one-year-old daughter I like to take to games with me. Now I can’t, because I don’t know who’s going to be there to attack me based on what she’s saying.”

For Smith’s part, she claims that she’d never do something like that unless provoked as driving Uber is her primary means of supporting herself. “This is what I do for work. This is how I’m paying to go to school. I would never attack any passenger who has ever gotten into my car. I just wanted her to get out of the car.” Turner, the passenger, is not facing any charges in the altercation.

Turner claims she intends to pursue legal action against the driver. According to Atlanta’s 11Alive, Smith intended to turn herself in to authorities.