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Police: Florida man dies after punch from Uber driver in St. Pete

Witness: Passenger was 'completely unresponsive'
Posted at 5:32 PM, Aug 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-14 06:32:45-04

UPDATE | Terry Kimball, an Uber passenger punched by his driver, has died as a result of his injuries, officials said Saturday, Aug. 12.

St. Petersburg police said no charges have been filed yet and the investigation continues. 

ORIGINAL STORY | An Uber driver is accused of punching a passenger in St. Petersburg, causing what could be life-threatening injuries.

Police say at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Uber driver Kabir O' Farril Diaz, 38, picked up 56-year-old passenger Terry L. Kimball.

They had a dispute over the route the driver was taking. Diaz pulled over at the Quick Pick Foods store at 800 58th St. N. in St. Petersburg, where they had a physical altercation.

Authorities say the driver punched Kimball, and he did not regain consciousness.

"I saw this guy laying on the ground. This woman was pressing on his chest trying to bring him back," Carlton Reid said. "He wasn't responsive. It was pretty tough, really I was really scared, I didn't know what was going on with him and I was pretty worried."

Reid witnessed the aftermath of the fight.

He is now in the hospital with serious brain trauma and life-threatening injuries.

Police said a witness told them Kimball appeared to be the aggressor.  A friend of Diaz told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska he has a baby on the way and is not a violent person.

According to Pinellas County court records Kimball's been arrested multiple times for crimes that include DUI, simple battery, resisting arrest, and disorderly intoxication.  

"That's very sad it really is I would like to know what happened now, truly," Reid said.  

Investigators are speaking with witnesses and they say Diaz, who has not been charged at this time, is cooperating.