Kiefer Sutherland faces shock assault lawsuit after uber incident

Kiefer Sutherland is facing a fresh legal nightmare after being sued by an Uber driver who claims the Hollywood actor violently attacked him during a January ride in Los Angeles.

The 59-year-old star was arrested in Hollywood earlier this year after police said he allegedly climbed into a rideshare vehicle, assaulted the driver, and made criminal threats. 

Now, court documents obtained by TMZ have painted a far more explosive picture of what allegedly happened inside the car.

The driver, Rafael Manvelyan, claims Sutherland was “visibly intoxicated” when he entered the vehicle and quickly became agitated as communication broke down due to a language barrier. 

Manvelyan, who primarily speaks Russian and Armenian, alleges the situation escalated rapidly as Sutherland grew “increasingly hostile, aggressive, confrontational” during the journey.

In the lawsuit, he claims the Designated Survivor actor struck him repeatedly with closed fists to the head, face, neck and upper body while he was still driving. 

He also alleges Sutherland placed him in a chokehold and threatened to kill him.

Manvelyan says he managed to escape the vehicle and ran down the street, but claims the 24 star chased after him shouting, “I’m going to kill you.” 

He further alleges parts of the incident were captured on dashcam footage, and that witnesses were present.

According to the filing, the driver suffered injuries to his head, face, neck, spine and shoulder, with responding officers reportedly noting visible swelling and bruising.

Sutherland’s legal team has not publicly responded to the latest allegations. 

His lawyer, Mitra Sabouri, told TMZ the case will be handled in court, saying her client is a private citizen seeking damages for injuries and emotional distress.

The actor, known for his long-running career in film and TV, has had previous run-ins with the law, including a 2007 DUI jail sentence and earlier arrests in 2009 and 2020.

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