SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — An Uber driver is suing the City of San Diego after a police officer berated him with derogatory language during a heated traffic stop that was caught on camera last year.
“This is a disturbing incident of a police officer using their badge to bully and intimidate rather than to protect and serve,” said Los Angeles civil rights attorney Antonio Kizzie, who is representing driver Abdulkadir Bulgaz.
Bulgaz, 29, was in the College Area to pick up an Uber rider on December 30, 2024, when he was pulled over.
“Don’t be an idiot and stop in the middle of the lane. Pull to the right,” a police officer was heard announcing on his SUV’s speaker.
Bulgaz, a Turkish immigrant, claims the officer engaged in “unlawful and outrageous discrimination against him due to his race.”
The driver’s dash camera caught the officer asking Bulgaz, “Are you ret*****?”
The 29-year-old driver says “sorry,” and the officer says, “Are you stupid? Are you dumb?” before Bulgaz tells him he doesn’t speak English.
“Why the f*** would you stop in the middle of the lane?” the officer asks him.
Team 10 asked San Diego police to comment on the lawsuit, but the department declined, referring our request to the city attorney’s office. A spokesperson for the city attorney said the office doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Bulgaz said in his May 15 lawsuit that the officer “unreasonably and unlawfully” seized his driver’s license during the traffic stop.
In the dashcam video, the officer asks Bulgaz if he’s an Uber driver. The officer says, “You’re a terrible driver. You’re not driving anymore,” and then tells Bulgaz he’s taking away his license.
This caused him “humiliation, loss of earnings, mental, physical and emotional damages,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court. The suit claims the city is liable under both state and federal law.
“The officer for no reason seized his driver's license for at worst, a potential minor traffic infraction, then threatened you'll never drive Uber again,” Kizzie said.
Bulgaz couldn’t work for 10 days after the traffic stop for Uber or Instacart and had to go to the DMV to get a replacement license, Kizzie said.
“He lost income, and it was very traumatizing for him," the attorney says.
Both Uber and Instacart require drivers to carry a valid license with them. California law says drivers who have a valid license but fail to show it during a traffic stop can be fined $250.
The lawsuit claims the officer used a translation app to further degrade Bulgaz before releasing him without a ticket.
“The officer used an app to call Mr. Bulgaz ‘an e**ing Turkish driver ‘and you will never e**ing drive Uber again,’” Kizzie said.
Team 10 wanted to get more information about the traffic stop and filed a public records request with the city, requesting the officer’s body camera footage.
The city said it had no responsive records.
“We don't know what the officer did with the driver's license yet at this time. He could have taken it back, could have shredded it, possibly could have not even logged the stop at all,” Kizzie said.
Team 10 Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish can be reached at austin.grabish@10news.com
