An elderly man who was caught up in a row over parking at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) has died, police confirmed on Monday.
"The 71-year-old in the ORTIA assault incident has succumbed to his injuries yesterday [Sunday]," said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Katlego Mogale.
"It it is probable that the charge will be changed after the detective returns from court this morning," she said.
READ: Uber removes driver from app after elderly man attacked
The elderly man became involved in a row of parking with an Uber driver at ORTIA on Sunday September 9 and was injured when the argument escalated.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said the driver was initially arrested for assault, and then when the severity of the old man's injuries became evident, the charge was changed to attempted murder.
The driver was held in custody and is expected to apply for bail in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Monday.
"This is incredibly sad news, our hearts go out to the family and we will continue to stay in touch with them to offer our support," said Samantha Allenberg, spokesperson Uber Sub-Saharan Africa.
"We trust that law enforcement and the judicial systems will do their best to ensure that justice prevails. We stand ready to help police with any additional information needed for their investigation."
She said the driver, who had cleared background checks and had an above average rating until the incident, had already been removed from the app.
After receiving information on the afternoon of September 12 about the incident, the company handed what it had to law enforcement authorities.
The driver had no previous safety incidents.
She said that the driver was arrested on September 13, less than 24 hours of the information being handed over.
* This article has been updated to reflect Uber comment on the death of the 71-year-old man.
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