On Sunday May 8, an Uber driver was arrested for allegedly raping and robbing a female passenger in Mexico City. But a TYT check revealed this is not the first time an Uber driver is involved in some kind of sex crime. Numerous similar incidents have previously been alleged in the U.S.
A criminal judge ordered the Mexico City driver jailed and he is now being held in the “Reclusorio Norte” prison awaiting a court ruling on whether to bring him to trial, based on evidence currently being gathered, officials with the Federal District’s Attorney General’s Office told EFE.
The alleged incident occurred early on May 2 after the victim called for a ride on Uber as she was leaving a bar in the Condesa neighborhood, popular for its restaurants and nightspots.
As he was taking her to her destination, the Uber driver stopped the vehicle and allegedly raped her. Later, he made her get out of the vehicle but kept her purse.
The victim immediately reported the incident to the police, and the Uber driver was quickly identified and arrested.
The manager of the bar where the woman was picked up said he recognized the Uber driver but security camera images were also used as evidence to seize the suspect.
Several similar incidents have been reported previously in the U.S., a TYT check revealed.
According to the Philadelphia webiste, philly.com, on April 20 2016, Uber driver Abdellah Elkaddi, 47, was found guilty of sexually asaulting a 24-year-old woman, one of his clients. Elkaddi, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Morocco who used an Arabic interpreter throughout the trial, claimed the sex was consensual.
There have been several allegations of sexual assaults against Uber drivers. (PHOTO: liderempresarial.com)
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, CA, in the early morning hours of Sunday April 3, 39-year-old Dartanyun Smith, who was not an Uber driver but posed as one, attacked, choked and raped a woman who called an Uber cab and thought it was her ride. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the victim was choked to unconsciousness three times during the attack.
The victim fought back and her screams were so loud, in fact, that residents of an apartment building called 911 about 3:35 a.m, according to LAPD file. Smith was ultimately caught by the LAPD and he is currently in jail.
Uber driver Omar Mahmoud Mousa, 52, of Anaheim, CA appeared in court on April 8 to face felony charges of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object in connection with an Oct. 25, 2015 incident, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Charges were filed against Mousa on Jan. 25, but authorities say he was out of the country.
An arrest warrant was issued, and Mousa was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport as he returned to the United States on March 7. He was taken to the Orange County Jail on Tuesday March 15. If convicted, Mousa faces up to 24 years in prison. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
According to bloomberg.com, a woman alleges that in February 2015 in Boston, her Uber driver waited until after he’d dropped off her friend to assault her before she escaped.
While another woman claims that when she hailed a ride in Charleston, South Carolina, in August 2015, the driver detoured from the route to her home so he could “viciously rape her.”
So, TYT advises a bit of caution may be in order the next time you call for an Uber ride in your city or town.
TYT Newsroom
Sources:
http://articles.philly.com/2016-04-20/news/72457095_1_uber-driver-mixed-verdict-jury
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mousa-708655-uber-woman.html
