New Charges for Taco Bell Exec in Uber Beating

Former Taco Bell executive Benjamin Golden has been barred from ever using Uber again, but that could be the least of his problems. The 32-year-old, who was fired after video of him allegedly assaulting an Uber driver went viral, now faces charges of assault and battery, assault on public transportation property, and battery on a public transit employee with injury, reports CNBC. He was charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication after the incident on Friday in Costa Mesa, Calif., and prosecutors in Orange County say the video taken by driver Edward Caban helped them decide that the new charges could be proven "beyond a reasonable doubt."

An Uber spokeswoman says Golden—who can be seen in the video slapping and punching Caban after the driver decides Golden is too drunk to give directions and asks him to leave the car—has been permanently barred from the service, the Los Angeles Times reports. Golden, who could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, will be arraigned Nov. 17, reports the OC Register. CNBC reports that Golden spent a few days in jail in Kentucky in 2012 after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. (The president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta learned a lot by moonlighting as an Uber driver.)