Uber Passenger Sentenced for Attacking Driver in Costa Mesa (SURVEILLANCE VIDEO)

COSTA MESA, CA — The video is disturbing and hard to watch. An Uber driver who was pummeled for his refusal to give a passenger a ride due to intoxication received vindication on Thursday.

Newport Beach resident Benjamin Golden, 33, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of battery on a taxi driver, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

"He was sentenced to 60 days in county jail, three years of informal probation, and ordered to pay restitution," spokesperson Susan Kang-Schroeder said.

On Oct. 30, 2015, Golden was caught on camera as he repeatedly struck his Uber driver’s head after he was ordered out of the vehicle by the victim.

The Costa Mesa Police Department investigated this case, and Deputy District Attorney Scott Wooldridge of the West Justice Center prosecuted.

Driver Edward Caban had recorded his rides for weeks prior to the attack.

Costa Mesa police Sgt. Cameron Phillips said Golden "was taken into custody on suspicion of public intoxication and assaulting a cab driver."

Golden, a former Taco Bell marketing employee, reportedly apologized soon after the attack.

Caban said through his attorney in 2015 that he put the camera in his vehicle after consulting with other Uber drivers who complained that some customers lie about problems to get refunds or are too drunk to give proper instructions.

Caban installed the camera with a GPS function to prove where he has driven his vehicle, said his attorney at the time, Rivers Morrell III. The camera usually faces forward, but Caban swung it around the night of the run-in with Golden, the lawyer said.

"... he saw this thing starting to escalate," Morrell said. "That's why he turned it around, so he could document that this happened. Otherwise, it would be his word against someone else, so a lot of the drivers are starting to do this."

Golden only remembered being arrested, His attorney, Courtney Pilchman said last November.

"The only sort of recollection that he has is getting arrested, but he did watch the video and he was appalled at the behavior and did not recognize the behavior," she said.

"This was something beyond out of character for him," she said.

The alleged assault happened about 8:10 p.m. in Costa Mesa, according to police. Caban is seen being struck numerous times in the video, but he did not need medical treatment, Costa Mesa police Lt. Greg Scott said.

Golden had called for an Uber driver to pick him up from a Newport Beach bar. He struggled to tell Caban where he wanted to go, so Caban eventually stopped in a parking lot at 1800 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa and told him to get out, Scott said.

Golden "punched and slapped the side of the driver's face," the lieutenant said.

On the video, Golden can be seen in the backseat of the car with the door open, but he leans forward and repeatedly hits the driver in the head then grabs him by the hair and tries to slam his head into the driver's side door window.

Caban, acting in self-defense, pepper-sprayed Golden, Scott said.

Golden is permanently banned from the Uber ride service, according to the company.

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video