A Lyft driver allegedly pistol-whipped a customer, holding him against his will in the car, then telling town of Brookfield police it was all in self-defense.
Court records indicate the victim, a 24-year-old Milwaukee man, required stitches to close two severe cuts sustained in the late-night April 27 incident that stretched from Brookfield to Milwaukee.
Dylan Schultz, 22, of Waukesha, is facing two felony charges in Waukesha County Circuit Court — substantial battery and false imprisonment, both involving use of a dangerous weapon — in connection with the incident. He posted a $2,500 cash bond April 30.
According to the complaint:
Milwaukee police responded to a report from the bloodied victim, who told authorities Schultz attacked him.
The man said he requested a Lyft driver to take him and co-workers to two bars in Milwaukee; Schultz ended up joining them in one of the bars. Later, when Schultz was giving the man a solo ride home, Schultz refused to let the man out of the car outside his apartment while asking him odd questions about his finances and girlfriends who Schultz had met at the bar.
Suddenly, the complaint said, Schultz pulled out of the apartment parking lot and took the man to an ATM in Brookfield to withdraw $200 for his fare and then to a McDonald’s on Bluemound Road, where Schultz threatened to shoot him. At one point, the man tried to honk the horn to get the attention of a truck driver, but Schultz struck him in the head with a gun.
Schultz initially contacted Brookfield police, who met him in their station parking lot to hear his story, which portrayed the victim as the aggressor.
He told police that a customer had repeatedly made sexual advances to him, including at a Milwaukee bar, and inside his car. Schultz said the man touched him indecently, ignoring his rebuffs, and refused to get out when they reached the man’s home.
Unable to shed the man, Schultz drove him to a McDonalds where the man became so upset Schultz, fearing for his safety, reached for his gun and struck the man.
If convicted, Schultz could face up to 10½ years in jail for the false imprisonment charge and 7½ years for the substantial battery charge, plus fines of up to $10,000.
He was expected back in court for a May 1 hearing.
~source
