A month after Lyft failed to report driver accused in assault, he fatally kicked a taxi driver while working for Uber

The city has cited the ride-hailing company Lyft for failing to use a warning system meant to weed out violent drivers - specifically one who punched a customer last year and then, while at the wheel for Uber weeks later, fatally karate kicked a taxi driver in broad daylight.

Lyft was cited for failing to notify the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) that it deactivated driver Fangqi Lu from its platform because of the alleged assault - even though it was required to do so within 48 hours, the city agency tells the Chicago Sun-Times.

Had the notification been made, the city would have immediately relayed a warning about Lu's alleged violent behavior to other ride-hailing companies in Chicago, including Uber.

Lu, 31, was working as an Uber driver four weeks after he punched the customer when he fatally kicked taxi driver Anis Tungekar, 64, in the head after a traffic dispute in the West Loop.

Lu has since fled to China and been charged with murder in Cook County.

"We are very disappointed with Lyft for failing to notify us about this deactivation, and we are holding them accountable for breaking the law and putting the public in danger," city spokesman Isaac Reichman told the Sun-Times.

The business affairs and consumer protection department, which is responsible for regulating ride-hailing companies, issued a citation last month against Lyft that could result in a fine of between $500 and $10,000.

The city issued the citation against Lyft on June 18, shortly after the Sun-Times began asking whether a communication breakdown had occurred in the wake of Lu's violent behavior while working for Lyft.

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