(Lincoln, NE) -- A Lincoln Uber driver and his passenger are attacked by a man with a knife.
Lincoln Police say around 10:00 Wednesday night, officers were called to the area of Normal Blvd & Myrtle Street. Police say the 911 caller told dispatchers that they were waived down by a woman with an obvious laceration to her wrist and was crying. Investigators say arriving officers spoke with the 19 year old female victim, who reported she was getting off work in the area of 48th & Van Dorn when a man she knew emerged from behind a tree, armed with a knife. Police say the woman fled to an arriving Uber, which she had called for a ride home.
LPD says the woman entered the car, locked the doors, and told the driver to leave. The man, 39 year old Manuel Jesus Cevallos Mendez, closed the distance to the car and began stabbing the driver, a 43 year old man, in the face and abdomen, through the open driver’s window. Investigators say Cevallos Mendez further attempted to stab at the woman in the backseat. Police say she deflected these attempts, resulting in the cut to her hand. LPD says the driver of the Uber accelerated through the lot, with Cevallos Mendez hanging onto the car. The Uber hit a dumpster with enough force to deploy the airbags, disarming Cevallos Mendez, who was still clinging to the vehicle. Police say the woman exited the car and fled to 48th & Normal for assistance, while Cevallos Mendez fled the scene.
Cevallos Mendez was located approximately an hour later after he called for assistance relating to injuries he sustained during the vehicle collision. All three people involved were taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. After being medically cleared at the hospital, Cevallos-Mendez was arrested for 1st Degree Assault, Domestic Assault 2nd Degree and Use of a Weapon to Commit a Felony.