DISGUSTING

Uber Driver Charged With Raping Passenger

Prosecutors say he assaulted an intoxicated woman.

An Uber driver was charged Wednesday with raping a female passenger he was driving home from a party in California last month. The victim, who has not been identified, attended a party in Newport Beach on March 30 before her colleagues ordered her a ride home from the ride-hail service. She was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Angel Sanchez, a driver for the company, drove the woman near her home in Santa Ana before sexually assaulting her in his minivan. She immediately fled and called police to report the alleged rape. Sanchez, who is due to appear in court on the charges next week, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted. A spokeswoman for Uber told the Los Angeles Times that the company assisted law enforcement in the investigation. “Nobody should have to go through what this woman reported to police,” spokeswoman Tracey Breeden was quoted as saying.