FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A fight inside an Uber in Fresno is gaining attention after video of the confrontation went viral on social media. The driver at the center of the incident, Thomas Rodriguez, says the situation started with a passenger who wasn’t even supposed to be in the car. “Th is guy just decided to come with my car and sit in my car and start demanding me to drive him,” Rodriguez said. Largest revolving sushi chain in US opening another location in East Bay Video that Rodriguez's cameras inside the vehicle captured on March 22 shows the unwanted passenger stepping into the vehicle and asking that Rodriguez take him home. When Rodriguez tried to explain to the passenger that he'd been hired to pick up dancers from Splash nightclub in Fresno, the passenger berated him with obscenities and refused to leave. Moments later, one of the passengers who had actually requested the ride got into the car - causing tensions to escalate. According to Rodriguez, the uninvited passenger began berating both the driver and the dancer, leading to a physical confrontation captured on video. Body found in San Jose, police ask for public’s help “When he did that, I at first I was like, 'Wow. Well, this is actually happening,'” Rodriguez said. Soon a fight ensued between the unwanted passenger and the dancer, with Rodriguez in the middle. The passenger can be seen in the video throwing the first punch - and then being struck multiple times by the dancer until club security helps remove the unwanted passenger. Rodriguez says in the thousands of rides he’s completed, this situation was the first of its kind in his car. “That’s just one out of more than 11,000 people that I’ve driven,” he said. Still, he acknowledges the risks that can come with the job. Rodriguez pointed to past incidents involving violence against rideshare drivers, including a shooting last Thanksgiving in which an Uber driver was shot by a passenger. “That’s actually the second time I’ve known about this… it happened a couple of years ago… more like about five or six years ago,” Rodriguez said. Despite the incident, Rodriguez says he’s not letting one bad experience stop him from continuing to drive. "There is that danger, but we all have to find a way around it,” Rodriguez said. He says safety measures like dash cameras and requiring passengers to verify rides with a PIN help reduce the risk. Event promoter Ray Quenga, who shared the footage online, said those going out should respect LGBTQ safe spaces like Splash Nightclub and respect staff, fellow patrons, and drivers. He says alcohol is not an excuse for inciting violence. “Control your drinking, and if you’re not someone that ends up good when you drink, you probably shouldn’t be out,” Quenga said. ...read more read less