Uber has suspended the account of a college student who was caught on camera blasting an Uber driver a week ago.
7 Action News has learned that Uber driver, Artur Zawada, who recorded the verbal harassment has also had his account suspended, while the ride sharing service conducts a separate investigation.
University of Michigan student Jake Croman can be seen in a now viral YouTube video bragging about having and spending a lot of money, poking fun at the driver for working for a living and making minimum wage, and calling him a gay slur.
Today Uber released this statement:
Any type of aggression or harassment is simply unacceptable and violates Uber’s code of conduct for riders and drivers. We are looking into all the details as we investigate this incident and are in touch with everyone involved.
Croman is a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at U of M's Ann Arbor campus. The fraternity, the university and Ann Arbor police are all investigating the case.
Croman could face some serious consequences from the fraternity or the school.
Tau Kappa Epsilon’s national organization has released this statement:
Tau Kappa Epsilon has begun our investigation into the video which allegedly contains one of our members. We are extremely disappointed by the individual's demeaning words. As an organization founded on the personal worth and character of the individual, our members come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds of race, creed, and orientation. At the conclusion of our swift, thorough investigation, we will handle the situation with appropriate action. Depending on the details of the investigation, this could include the expulsion of membership.
The University of Michigan released this statement:
We find the actions depicted in this video to be reprehensible and completely inconsistent with our community’s closely held values. We expect more from members of the U-M community.
Regardless of the circumstances, no one deserves to be treated that way.
This matter has been reported to Ann Arbor Police. We are awaiting the police report as we consider our next steps.
Our dean of students met with both the Uber driver and the students last week.
Croman however released this statement:
This video shows one side of an argument I had with an Uber driver two weeks ago after he refused to pick me up on the basis of my religion. What you don’t see in the video is that the driver had made a number of offensive anti-semitic remarks that provoked my response. I am not proud of my reaction to his discrimination and I regret my choice of words.
Both Croman and Zawada filed police reports last week. Detectives told 7 Action News they cannot comment on open investigations.
However, sources say in the first reports made by both parties no ethnic slurs were mentioned.
