Flagler County man arrested for holding gun to Lyft driver's head, deputies say

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Flagler County man was arrested for holding a gun to a Lyft driver's head and pulling the trigger.  The weapon didn't fire, according to investigators.

Bodycam video shows deputies surrounding Esaiah Glenn at a Palm Coast gas station and arresting him out of the back of a stranger's car. They would be searching for the 24-year-old for hours. Deputies say it was in the back of a different car where Glenn assaulted the Lyft driver.

"Put a gun to the driver’s head, pulled the trigger," said Commander Jon Dopp with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. "The driver reported hearing a click and then confronted the passenger about what happened."

After the Lyft driver was able to disarm Glenn, the sheriff's office says Glenn asked the driver to shoot him. The driver was able to get away safely. It's part of an unsettling trend of ride-share drivers getting attacked.

Last year in Flagler County, an Uber driver shot a passenger she says was attacked her, leaving blood in her car, and in 2020, a man was caught on camera choking a Lyft driver in Flagler Beach.

"I was very fortunate that I was able to defend myself because I had a firearm, but a lot of other drivers don’t carry any kind of weapon or anything," said Isabella Gallo, the former Uber driver who says she was forced to shoot one of her passengers.

Gallo ended up moving and finding another job but has advice for those still driving.

"If you feel like something’s off with your passenger, don’t be afraid to kick them out of your car," Gallo said. "You’re allowed to do it 100%."

"The best thing they can do is to have access to a cell phone, access to call for help and have an exit plan or exit strategy, a way to get away from the situation if they need to," Commander Dopp said.

Esaiah Glenn was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm.

Investigators are still searching for the gun Glenn allegedly held to the driver's head.