Atlanta NBA, WNBA reporter Tabitha Turner allegedly pepper-sprayed, assaulted by Uber driver on side of highway

An Atlanta-based NBA and WNBA reporter claims she was pepper-sprayed and physically assaulted by an Uber driver during a violent altercation on the side of the highway, and is now facing online threats because of the incident.Tabitha Turner, the team reporter for the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Dream, was picked up from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday by driver Nicole Smith.“I just wanted to go home from work and see my daughter.I’ve got threats,” Turner told reporters Wednesday at a press conference.

“I didn’t ask for this.”Turner says she had ordered an Uber Comfort, which allows passengers to choose the type of experience for their drive, including the desired interior temperature.Turner and her attorney claim she had selected to have a “cool” ride with the windows up and air conditioning on.“One thing that she noticed when her Uber pulled up, right off the rip, was that this clearly wasn’t a comfort vehicle,” Turner’s lawyer, Miguel Dominquez, told reporters.“She was a little thrown off giving what she inputted into the app, that there was no air conditioning on and the windows were down and we’ve got 90-degree plus weather out there,” he added.As Smith drove northbound on I-85, Turner asked the driver to roll the windows up and turn on the A/C to match what she requested, Dominquez said.Smith allegedly got upset by the request and pulled over into the emergency lane of the highway and told Turner to get out of her car, Fox 5 Atlanta reported, citing police.The driver’s excuse for not closing the windows was that she liked to leave the windows down in case passengers are sick, Turner told reporters.The quick-thinking reporter pulled out her phone and began recording the roadside interaction with Smith, telling the irritated driver she wouldn’t get out of the car unless Smith refunded the fare or police were called.Smith turned around and pepper-sprayed her passenger in the face, according to video cap...