Uber driver back on the road despite sexually harassing and assaulting a woman

Seattle, USA — An Uber driver allegedly assaulted and threatened to rape a passenger after being unable to locate her instantly, police says.

Around 8 to 9pm earlier this month, a 41-year-old woman booked an Uber to take her to her hotel. All seemed normal until her Uber driver pulled up to her.

According to her, the driver seemed pissed off as it took him some time to find her. Thinking nothing too serious of it, the lady took the Uber ride anyway.

As they were driving over a bridge, the Uber driver apparently increased his speed. When she asked him to slow down, he drove even faster instead.

She then decided to warn him that she will call the police if he continues his behavior. However, he pulled his car up and started to walk around to the back passenger door. When he opened it, he grabbed her by her clothing and pulled her out of the car.

“I can’t think, I can’t react, I don’t know what’s going on,” the lady said.

The driver then pushed her into a railing, causing her to fall. Furthermore, the driver started taking her suitcase out of the car and began smashing it onto the ground.

The suspect then got on top of her. “He starts to rub my genitals very hard,” she said. “He had started to mess around with my skirt.”

She asked him to stop or get off, but instead, he struck her on the side of the head. He also kicked her in the knee before leaning into her face and threatening to rape her “until you bleed”.

The suspect then got up, pushed the suitcase into her, and attempted to run her over. Immediately, the woman called 911 and police used her cellphone to trace her location. Medical responders found out she suffered sprained ankle, abrasions, and back pain.

Uber claims they have temporarily suspended the driver but did not fully revoke his account, which meant the driver was eventually allowed to resume driving for Uber and he was back to carrying passengers again. Police claim there is an active and ongoing criminal investigation regarding the incident.

“When I got in the car that night, I assumed I was going to have a safe ride,” the lady said. “I want people to know this happens. I know it sounds like a dramatic story, but every piece of it happened.”