DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Four Bethune Cookman University freshmen went from feeling full after grabbing a late night bite to eat at Houlihan's in Daytona Beach on Friday to feeling frightened.
"We (were) really scared," Brianna Martin said of her Lyft driver. "We thought he was gonna kidnap us. Like, we didn't know if he was gonna turn around and spray us or hold a gun a gun to our head or what."
The students were leaving the restaurant when one of the girls opened up Lyft, a ride sharing-service, to request that a driver take them about 2 miles back to campus. But when they got inside the car, they said the driver told them he had other plans.
"He was saying, 'I could take you somewhere else to have,' and stuff like that, so he became a creep," Sydney Spearman, another student, said.
Spearman said she begged the driver to let them out, but he wouldn't, so Spearman called
911 and put the dispatcher on the speakerphone. That's when the driver dumped them on the side of International Speedway Boulevard.
"He heard the dispatcher, so that's what made him pull over and drop us off," Spearman said.
The girls filed a police report and police told them they're looking into the incident. News 6 contacted police but have yet to hear back. The girls said they want to warn other students to be aware of who's driving them home.
"Be cautious, have someone with you if you are taking Lyft or Uber," Martin said.
"If you have roommates, go with your roommates -- don't go alone," Spearman said.
A Lyft spokesperson Scott Coriell told News 6 in a statement, "What's being described here is completely inappropriate. As soon as this incident was reported to us, we deactivated the driver and reached out to the passenger whose account was used to book the ride to offer our support and assistance. We stand ready to assist law enforcement in any investigation."
Spearman said Lyft credited her account $25, but she said she will never use Lyft again.