A rideshare driver shot and wounded a naked man who was allegedly attacking a young woman outside a Stanton apartment complex, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The accident happened at 7:49 p.m. Sunday when the driver had just dropped off a passenger in the 7100 block of Custer Road. Matthew Parrish, Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
He said the driver saw a naked man beating a woman, rolled down his window and yelled at the man to intervene.
“This directed the attacker’s attention to the driver and he began to approach the vehicle,” Parrish said. “At some point, the shooting occurred.”
He said investigators were looking into what led to the shooting and whether the man was under the influence of drugs or was experiencing a mental health crisis. Authorities said the investigation will also determine whether the driver had a permit to carry a gun and, if so, what charges might be filed against the naked man.
A witness who lives in the area told ABC7 he saw the man attack the woman before the shooting.
“I saw that man beating that woman, like he was on top of her, beating that woman,” he said. “So I yelled out the window, I said, ‘Hey, get off her,’ and ran out, and when I ran out, I saw him punching the car, but he was completely naked.”
The rideshare driver remained at the scene and reported the shooting to a sheriff’s dispatcher, Parrish said. Arriving officers found a 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound and began life-saving measures until fire paramedics transported him to the hospital. The man is listed in critical but stable condition.
The woman, also 20, suffered minor injuries in the attack and was treated before being released at the scene.
The rideshare driver was interviewed by investigators and later released. The department did not say which ride-sharing company the man worked for, but other news outlets reported he worked for Uber.
Parrish said the department is withholding the suspect’s name at this time. The department also did not identify the driver or the young woman.
