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Lyft driver arrested after reportedly kidnapping Phoenix woman

PHOENIX (AZFamily)—A Phoenix woman is anonymously sharing her horrific experience after she was reportedly kidnapped by her Lyft driver on Wednesday.

Her driver, Judge Levon, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of kidnapping the woman after she dozed off in the back seat during the 45-minute drive.

“That day it seemed normal at first and it just turned to the left,” she said.

The mother of two says she's been using Lyft rides to get around for weeks after her car recently broke down. She said she had just gotten off a 10-hour work shift when she requested a ride from a store near 48th Street and Broadway Road.

After the driver picked her up, he asked her about her plans for the day. The woman said to him: “We are picking up my children from daycare. Two disabled children are waiting for me there.”

At some point during the drive she fell asleep, but when she woke up she was near 35th Avenue and Bell Road, miles from her drop-off point.

“Then I said, 'Hey sir, you missed my stop.' I dozed off. “It's good that I woke up,” and he just talked to himself: “Allah, Allah, am I okay?”

After he failed to stop and let her out, she quickly called 911. The woman told the dispatcher about the situation with Levon.

“I was afraid for my life. I told the dispatcher that I didn't know what was going to happen. I don’t know what his intentions are,” the woman said.

It took about 20 minutes for police to reach the woman.

“My phone was dying and it died. And I was in there with him, it was dead. So I just pulled out my cutter and told her, “I'm not going out like this.” I'm going to fight. Because that can't happen to me right now. “If I don’t get my boys, they won’t have anyone,” she said.

Levon eventually let her out in a field in the West Valley. He told police he believed the victim was “the voice in his head” and admitted he had been diagnosed with schizoaffective and bipolar disorder.

Since all this happened, the victim said she has not returned to work.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, you know? Because I’m working so far,” she said. “I'm doing what I can to keep my job, get my kids where they need to go and save for a car, but it's hard. It’s very difficult.”

Levon has been released from prison and is due back in court later this month.

A Lyft spokesperson shared the following statement:

“Safety is fundamental to Lyft and the incident described is deeply disturbing. We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft platform, have contacted the driver to offer assistance, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.”

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