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Texas Lyft driver sues rideshare company, hospital after passenger choked him with his own seatbelt

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Texas Lyft driver sues rideshare company, hospital after passenger choked him with his own seatbelt


A Lyft driver who says a passenger attacked him in Texas by choking him with his own seatbelt as he was driving him to his destination has filed a lawsuit against Lyft and the hospital where he picked up the passenger.

Driver Kehinde Ayoola said staff at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston requested the ride and helped the passenger to the vehicle in February of this year.

“He pulled my seatbelt and wrapped it around my neck, choking me. He was trying to kill me,” Ayoola told Fox 26.

The passenger, Ramiro Vella, was charged with Aggravated Assault in connection with the attack.

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LYFT DRIVER SAYS PASSENGER CHOKED HIM WITH HIS OWN SEATBELT IN TEXAS: ‘HE WAS TRYING TO KILL ME’

A Lyft driver who says a passenger choked him with his own seatbelt filed a lawsuit against Lyft and the hospital where he picked up the passenger. (Getty)

Ayoola explained the impact the violent attack has had on him since the incident, noting that he is now fearful of falling victim to another attack.

“Just like we’re sitting here, if someone tries to pass behind me, I’m always, so scared, you know. I see it always. Every day,” he said, adding that replays in his over and over again.

He said he has not picked up passengers since the incident because of his fears. He had been a rideshare driver for seven years.

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“Because I’m always scared. Even if my grandson is sitting behind me in the car, I’m scared,” Ayoola said.

Ayoola said when he arrived at the hospital to pick up Vella, he observed the man standing with three hospital workers as he was fidgeting and behaving strangely.

TEXAS POLICE DEPARTMENT TO INTRODUCE AUTONOMOUS DRONE PILOT PROGRAM: ‘AN EYE IN THE SKY’

The passenger, Ramiro Vella, was charged with Aggravated Assault in connection with the attack. (Getty)

“When I picked up that passenger in February, I talked to the staff, the Memorial Hermann staff,” he recalled. “I said ‘Hey what’s going on? Is this guy OK?’ They told me, they said, ‘Oh yes, it’s okay.’ I even asked the security guard, and he said, ‘yes, it’s okay.’”

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Shortly after Vella entered his car, he started talking to himself before beating his chest and, at one point, slid over in the backseat to the seat behind Ayoola. The passenger then grabbed Ayoola’s seatbelt and wrapped it around the driver’s neck, according to Ayoola.

Ayoola attempted to put his fingers between his neck and the seatbelt, and was unable to unfasten his seatbelt. Vella then used his arm to put Ayoola in a chokehold.

The driver pulled his car over to the side of the road, and Vella kicked the back window until the frame popped out before kicking a dent into the back of the vehicle and opening the trunk, Ayoola said.

Investigators said Vella then ran to a house and began yelling and attempting to enter. The homeowner called 911 and Vella was arrested.

Ayoola said he has not picked up passengers since the incident because of his fears of another attack. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket )

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Ayoola is “an innocent, hardworking man that was simply trying to complete a Lyft journey that was ordered, supervised, and called for by Memorial Hermann Hospital, and he ended up being attacked,” Ayoola’s Attorney, Osayuki Ogbeidet, told Fox 26.

“He expressed his concerns to Memorial Hermann staff, and they reassured him that Ramiro Vella would be OK,” Ogbeide added.

Ogbeide said Ayoola has experienced “very special damages. Not just loss of wages, not just medical bills, but his whole life turned upside down.”

Vella’s next court date is scheduled for Sept. 25.

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Texas primary runoff: Key races on the May 26 ballot

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Texas primary runoff: Key races on the May 26 ballot


SAN ANTONIO – Texas voters will settle unfinished business from the March Primary on May 26, when they decide either who will be on the ballot for the November general election or who will take office next year.

Those contests in which no candidate received 50% plus one of the vote will be on the Tuesday, May 26 runoff election ballot.

The marquee matchup on that ballot is the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn received 42% of the vote to Paxton’s 41%. The two were the top vote-getters in a field of nine candidates seeking the seat on the November ballot.

Cornyn and Paxton were both hoping to get the endorsement of President Donald Trump, but that didn’t happen before the March vote and hasn’t happened since.

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One day after the primary, the president said that he would endorse one of them but expected the other to drop out of the race. Neither candidate was inclined to do that. There still hasn’t been an endorsement.

Whoever wins will face Democratic nominee James Talarico, an Austin-area state representative and former San Antonio teacher who won his primary bid against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Another seat both parties have their eyes on in the newly-drawn Congressional District 35. Republicans and Democrats both want this seat formerly held by Greg Casar, who was drawn out of the district in last year’s redistricting. Casar will seek re-election in District 37.

Both the red and blue parties have runoff contests for voters to settle. On the Republican side, Carlos De La Cruz and John Lujan are the two candidates who came out with the most votes from a field of 11 candidates. Lujan, who had 33% of the vote, is giving up his seat in the Texas House to run for the job in Washington. De La Cruz, an Air Force Veteran and brother to U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (District 15), received 27% of the vote. Trump endorsed De La Cruz early in the campaign.

On the Democratic side, the race was close between Maureen Galindo with 29% of the vote and Johnny Garcia (27%). The pair outlasted two other candidates to qualify for the runoff. Garcia is a now-former spokesperson with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Galindo is a housing advocate who also works as a marriage and family therapist.

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In Bexar County, the race for the Democratic spot on the ballot for District Attorney is down from eight to two: Luz Elena Chapa and Jane Davis. Chapa, a former appellate judge, received 27% of the vote. Davis, the chief of the juvenile section of the Bexar County DA’s Office, earned 18%.

The winner of this runoff will face Republican Ashley Foster in November, along with any independent candidate who makes it onto the ballot. The winner of that contest will take over from outgoing District Attorney Joe Gonzales, who is not seeking re-election after two tumultuous terms in office. Gonzales has endorsed Jane Davis as his successor.

Voters, depending on their party and address, will also be deciding the lieutenant governor, attorney general, state representative, state senator, county clerk and district clerk races.

The Bexar County Democratic sample ballot can be seen below:

The Bexar County Republican sample ballot can be seen below:

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Early voting begins on Monday, May 18, and runs through Friday, May 22.

Election day is Tuesday, May 26.

Read also:

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Best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 18-11 loss to MSU

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Best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 18-11 loss to MSU


The pitching woes continued for Texas A&M in its 18-11 series-opening loss to Mississippi State at Blue Bell Park on Thursday night.

Typically, scoring 11 runs in an SEC contest equates to a win, but not for the Aggies. Jason Kelly’s pitching staff gave up the most runs in a single inning since Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. To make matters worse, the loss was tied for the most runs allowed this season, which came in an 18-5 run-rule loss to Auburn on May 2.

Needless to say, the bullpen has much work to do moving forward. With postseason play right around the corner, it is make-or-break for the pitchers on the roster to step up and provide consistency on the mound for the Aggies. If Texas A&M drops the series to the Bulldogs on Friday, it will be the end of the team’s hopes of being a national seed.

The Aggies will aim to avoid dropping their third straight SEC series, as they face Mississippi State in Game 2 at Blue Bell Park on Friday. First pitch against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.

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Here are some of the best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s loss to Mississippi State in Game 1:

Final score from Blue Bell Park

18 runs… yes, you read that correctly

Statistics from the series-opening loss

Mississippi State takes down No. 10 in Game 1

Texas A&M drops in the league standings

That one stings a little

Poor night for A&M on the mound

Kellner’s mask was a sight to see

A closer look at Kellner’s mask guarding his eye

Grahovac’s lead-off solo home run

Hacopian’s solo home run in the first

RPI update

Weston Moss slated to start in Game 2

The formula for success wasn’t there for the Aggies in the series opener

Frustrating night on the bump for Texas A&M

The Aggies must find an answer to the lack of consistent performances on the mound

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.





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‘We have great support’: Coach Bucky speaks at Dallas A&M Club event

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‘We have great support’: Coach Bucky speaks at Dallas A&M Club event


Texas A&M football and basketball may be in the quiet stretch of their calendars, but the offseason doesn’t mean the work slows down. This is the time for coaches to hit the road, meet with Aggie clubs, and lay out the vision for the months ahead. One of the first stops each summer is the Dallas Aggies Coaches Night.

Hosted annually by the Dallas A&M Club, the event brings together several Texas A&M head coaches. This year, first‑year basketball coach Bucky McMillan joined football coach Mike Elko. Before the program began, both coaches met with the media and offered updates on their teams. And while football naturally draws the biggest spotlight, McMillan delivered plenty of insight into his first year in Aggieland and the foundation he’s building.

Below are some of the most notable quotes from Coach Bucky’s appearance at Coaches Night.

Texas A&M head basketball coach Bucky McMillan speaks on attending his first Dallas A&M Club event

“We didn’t have a roster. We didn’t have any coaches… It was wild, but since then I have gotten to meet so many great people and so many I have made friends with.”

Coach Bucky McMillan on the support they team received

“We have great support, and you did it with a coach you didn’t know very well. We broke a lot of records last year… We broke 15 A&M records. We are going to break all those again next year. I was proud of our defense, as small as we were.”

Coach Bucky McMillan discusses what being in Aggieland has meant to him

“Aggies love Aggies and A&M. I am from SEC country in the middle of Alabama. I tell my friends, the honor and tradition of being an Aggie is something I don’t take lightly. The honor of the people, it’s truly awesome. It makes me proud to wear this on my shirt.”

Coach Bucky McMillan on Mike Elko

“The football coach has to deal with a lot more things than I do… We lose a game, and most of y’all know about it, but everybody knows if he loses a game.” “The one thing I know is there could not better coach for Texas A&M than Mike Elko.”

Coach Bucky McMillan on the 2026-27 basketball season

“We are going to take that next step. We were a game away from the Sweet 16 this year, and we are going to be in that second weekend next year, trying to get the Final Four.”

Here’s a look at the impact the Dallas A&M Club has had since its founding.

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Established in 1902, the Dallas A&M Club has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Dallas-area students attending Texas A&M – with 29 Aggie fish and sophomores currently benefiting from our $6,000 scholarship awards.

As the chartered A&M Club for all of Dallas County, the DAMC has also generously given back to The Association of Former Students by contributing to the following: Aggie Park, Endowed Aggie Ring Scholarship (4), Endowed Diamond Century Club, Endowed Scholarship Fund, Corregidor Muster Memorial Fund, Building Enhancement Campaign, and The Association’s Annual Fund.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.





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