Last Updated on October 4, 2018 by CCAR Staff
Police in Van Nuys said they’re looking for other possible victims of an Uber and Lyft driver arrested this week on suspicion of raping and kidnapping a woman to whom he gave a ride home from a bar.
The victim told investigators she summoned a Lyft ride on Tuesday night at around 10 p.m. after leaving a Van Nuys pub.
As they approached her home, she said the driver assaulted her while both were still in the car, LAPD officials said in a written statement.
After the woman spoke to police, detectives identified the suspect as 37-year-old Octavio Alvarez Gomez. According to the statement, “a surveillance was conducted,” which led to officers arresting Gomez as he started another shift of driving for Lyft.
An LAPD spokesman was unable to give details about the investigation, or say when exactly Gomez was arrested. Sheriff’s booking records for Gomez were not immediately available Thursday.
LAPD officials said Gomez was arrested on suspicion of rape, felony sexual battery, sexual penetration with a foreign object, and kidnapping with the intent to commit a sexual assault. He was being held on $2.2 million bail.
It’s not clear how long Gomez has been a driver for either of the ride-sharing services.
Lauren Alexander, a spokeswoman for Lyft, said in an email that the company removed Gomez from the service “as soon as we received this information.”
“The allegations described are truly horrific and we have reached out to the passenger to extend our full support,” Alexander said. “We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
Representatives for Uber did not respond to a request for comment Thursday night.
