ATLANTA — A food delivery driver is speaking out after she said a man grabbed her by her head scarf and strangled her.
Sonya King told Channel 2 she feared for her life the day she was making a delivery in northwest Atlanta. She was delivering food for DoorDash at a house on South Grand Avenue.
The door was open when she said a 54-year-old man inside told her to leave the food on the counter.
"He seemed normal. Anybody would have went in," King said.
The woman was headed for the door when she said he told her he wanted to give her a cash tip.
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"In the process of him going through his wallet, he said, 'Oh and by the way im Jesus,'" King said.
She kept walking to the door when she said she felt him come from behind and grab her head scarf.
"He's grabbing me and trying to choke me with my own niqab. I kept telling that man I've got kids. In the midst of me fighting him, he's grabbing my head," King said. "He thought he was Jesus, but Jesus wouldn't do that to nobody."
She used her finger to poke his eye and her car keys to fight back.
"In the midst of me stabbing this man, he's saying, 'Aw this feels good,'" King said.
Police arrested Rick Painter after King got away and called 911.
When medics were done treating his injuries, authorities charged him with battery and booked him into jail. The charges were later upgraded to include false imprisonment and aggravated assault.
Channel 2 did some digging and discovered Painter has been in and out of jail on numerous violent charges.
Meanwhile, King said her faith is the reason she made it home to her husband and four children.
"By the love of Allah, I knew he was not going to allow that man to kill a believer," the woman said.
Channel 2 reached out to DoorDash about the incident. A spokesperson sent us the following statement:
"DoorDash takes the safety of its community extremely seriously for Dashers, consumers, and merchants. We do not tolerate violence in any form. After learning of this incident, DoorDash took action to deactivate the consumer's account pending a full investigation. DoorDash is prepared to cooperate with law enforcement to enable them to take swift, appropriate action."
Cox Media Group
