Uber driver charged with stabbing passenger several times at Logan Airport in Boston held without bail

An Uber driver accused of stabbing his passenger several times while dropping him off at Logan Airport in Boston last week has been ordered held without bail.

The driver, 23-year-old Leonard Bacon of Lowell, pleaded not guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury at his arraignment Monday in East Boston District Court.

Prosecutor Amanda Padilla said Bacon picked up his customer around 4:45 a.m. Friday to bring him to Logan Airport for a flight to England. The passenger said the ride was quiet and uneventful until they arrived at Terminal C just before 5:30 a.m. The passenger was supposed to be dropped off at British Airways in Terminal E. 

"He asked the driver whether they had arrived at the correct terminal and without warning the driver turned his body between the front seats and began repeatedly striking him in the head with his left hand," Padilla said in court Monday. 

"The victim distinctively recalled that the driver used his left hand throughout the assault and described it as 'the driver wailing on him.'"

The passenger didn't realize he had been stabbed until he got out of the car, covered in blood. He walked into Terminal C around 5:30 a.m. and asked for help. Bacon drove off with the man's suitcase, Padilla said.

The man was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he was treated for several stab wounds to his ear, back and shoulders.

Troopers searched for Bacon for two days before arresting him at a home in Lowell Sunday. During their search they spoke to his mother and brother, who described Bacon as "mentally disturbed," Padilla said.

The judge ordered him held without bail Monday and sent him for a mental health evaluation.

"We are horrified by this reported violence. We've been in touch with the rider to check in with them, and hope they make a full and swift recovery. The driver's access to the Uber platform was removed as soon as we were made aware of this," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement Friday.

"Our specialized team has been in touch with law enforcement, and we will continue to do whatever we can to support their investigation."