An Uber driver has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury for hitting a passenger in the head with a hammer in Bernal Heights, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

The 26-year-old driver, Patrick Karajah pled not guilty in San Francisco Superior Court today and was released on $125,000 bail. According to the Chronicle, which broke the news:

Karajah allegedly picked up the victim and his two friends from a bar at about 2 a.m. Tuesday. While driving the two men and one woman to their destination, he got into a dispute with the victim over the route he was taking, according to court documents.

Karajah, who was driving for the basic UberX service, stopped near the intersection of Ellsworth Street and Alemany Boulevard and forced the victim and his friends to get out, according to documents.

Once the alleged victim was out of the vehicle, Karajah struck him on the side of his head with a hammer, and then drove away, authorities said.

The victim suffered severe fractures and trauma to the head.

Yesterday the district attorneys from San Francisco and Los Angeles sent Uber and other ride-sharing companies a legal threat and possible injunction over inadequate background checks for its drivers and false marketing that implies otherwise.

SFWeekly has the company's comment on the charges:

Uber has issued its own press statement, saying it has suspended Karajah's account, as it would for any driver facing serious allegations, per company policy. "We stand ready to assist authorities in any investigation," spokeswoman Eva Behrend says.

Update: During a press conference this afternoon District Attorney George Gascon said that the driver is also facing attempted murder charges, according to ABC7's Cornell Barnard.

Gascon is the San Francisco district attorney who sent the legal notice to Uber this week. SFWeekly says Gascon "has emerged as an outspoken critic of these companies." His office charged UberX driver Daveea Whitmire with misdemeanor battery for allegedly hitting a passenger; Whitmire had prior felony convictions.

Update II: We spoke to the District Attorney's office who said there was no attempted murder charge. Barnard, the ABC7 reporter who posted that has since deleted his tweet.

[Image via Getty]