A California rideshare driver says his "fight-or-flight" response kicked into overdrive when he shot a naked man who was allegedly attacking a woman.
Turan Sanders told KNBC that he was dropping off a passenger in Stanton, just outside of Anaheim, around 8 p.m. Sunday when he noticed the man running toward the woman.
Sanders said he took immediate action and fired off a warning shot -- but it didn't stop the attack.
"This female was defenseless. He began to like brutally beat her — he was kneeing her — slamming her head against the ground," he told KNBC.
After the warning shot, Sanders said the suspect charged at his car and started pounding on his windows.
"I recognized he wasn't going to stop. I took aim and I dropped him," he told KNBC.
Sanders called 911 right away. Orange County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene to find a 20-year-old Hispanic man suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. He was rushed to the hospital and last reported in critical but stable condition. He may face charges pending further investigation, police said.
The alleged victim, a 60-year-old woman, was treated at the scene for injuries sustained during the assault. Investigators don't believe the incident was a sexual assault, KABC reported.
Sanders was questioned by investigators and released with no charges. He told KNBC he has no regrets about how he handled the situation.
"He could have potentially killed that woman," he said. "I just reacted. I believe in fight or flight, I wasn't about to take flight and let her go through what she was going through."
In a statement to KABC, a spokesperson for Uber said the details of the incident are "frightening."
"We're continuing to look into this and are standing ready to assist law enforcement on their investigation," the statement said.