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Retired cop shoots his Fla. Uber passenger during struggle

Police said no charges have been filed

By Police1 Staff

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A retired police officer working for Uber accidentally shot a passenger in the foot when trying to maintain his consciousness while being choked, WFTS reports.

Marc Mermel, 60, ordered an Uber Sunday night and ended up in an altercation with the driver, retired NYPD Officer Steve Rayow.

According to police, when the argument escalated, the fight became physical.

“The driver tells us that the passenger then started choking him,” said Clearwater Police Department spokesman Rob Shaw to WFTS.

Police said Rayow, 74, was losing consciousness when he decided to pull his gun out from his waist. The two continued to scuffle and the gun went off accidentally. The bullet hit Mermel in the foot. He was sent to a hospital and is in stable condition after treatment.

Mermel told WFTS he was surprised an Uber driver was carrying a gun.

Rayow declined to comment until charges were finalized, but police have publicly acknowledged his concealed weapons permit.

“I was told he has a concealed weapons permit and is properly allowed to carry that weapon,” said Shaw.

Police said no charges have been filed yet.

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