Kiefer Sutherland's Uber Driver Sues Actor for Threatening, Punching Him During Ride

Kiefer Sutherland is being sued by his Uber driver for assault and battery for the alleged L.A. incident that ended with the actor's arrest.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... Uber driver Rafael Manvelyan says Kiefer was "visibly intoxicated" on January 12 when he picked up the actor.

Rafael -- who says his English is limited because he primarily speaks Russian and Armenian -- claims Kiefer got "agitated" when the actor was struggling to understand him.

The lawsuit claims Kiefer became "increasingly hostile, aggressive, confrontational" during the ride, allegedly yelling and being verbally abusive.

The driver says the "24" star threatened to kill him and started attacking him while he was driving, claiming Kiefer repeatedly hit him "with closed fists" in his head, face, neck and upper body.

Rafael claims Kiefer also put him in a chokehold and continued threatening to kill him. The driver says he managed to get out of the car and start running away ... but alleges the actor followed him down the street yelling, "I'm going to kill you."

Rafael says his dashcam caught at least parts of the alleged assault, but adds there were also witnesses who saw the scary scene go down.

The driver says he suffered injuries to his head, face, neck, spine and shoulder. He says cops who responded to the scene could see his forehead was bruised and swelling.

Rafael's lawyer, Mitra Sabouri, tells TMZ in a statement ... "Mr. Manvelyan is a private citizen who did not seek public attention. He filed this action to pursue legal remedies for the injuries and damages he alleges he suffered."

Sabouri continued ... "Out of respect for his privacy, we are not releasing the dashcam footage, and we will allow the facts and evidence to be addressed through the court process."