'The woman was hitting me': Uber driver attacked by female passenger in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The woman accused of assaulting an Uber driver is set to appear in court Monday.

Houston Uber driver Arthella Perkins, 46, said he was assaulted by a female passenger overnight. He had responded to a ping on the Uber app near Hillcroft and Westheimer.

"As soon as she got in, she started giving me strange directions," he said.

Perkins told ABC13 that the woman became more agitated when he started calling her "ma'am" and playing Christian music.

From southwest Houston, the journey ended on a dead-end street off Cullen.

"I kept asking her for an exact address and she couldn't give one," he said. "Then she started getting mad."

Perkins said she started using abusive language and then escalated to hitting him on the back of his head.

"I didn't know if she had a weapon in the bag she brought with her, " he said.

When he called 911 for help, he said she became more agitated.

"The 911 operator kept asking me to spell the street name and I said I couldn't because the woman was hitting me, and then she grabbed my cell phone," Perkins said.

Perkins was able to retrieve his phone and Houston police arrived shortly thereafter.

The passenger was taken into custody and placed in the back of a patrol car.

Perkins said he was told she will face charges of assault and interfering with the 911 call.

"I was an Army medic for 22 years," he said. "And I've never been through anything like this before."