NEWPORT BEACH, California – A driver of Uber taxi service has been charged with rape of a female passenger after she sought a ride home from a gathering in the upscale seaside US city of Newport Beach.
Angel Sanchez, 36, was arrested a day after the March 30 attack, which took place on a street near the woman’s home in Santa Ana, California.
Sanchez, who is scheduled for an initial court appearance in the case next week, faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison if convicted, according to Los Angeles Times.
“Nobody should go through what this rider reported to police. We worked with law enforcement on the investigation and will continue to work with authorities,” an Uber spokesman said. Sanchez has been banned from driving for Uber.
The Uber ride was requested by colleagues of the woman, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time, prosecutors said.
Sanchez drove the woman near her home in Santa Ana and sexually assaulted her in his 2016 Toyota Sienna, prosecutors alleged.
The woman fled Sanchez’s vehicle and called 911.
