BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Uber driver accused of raping female passenger in Vegas

An Uber sticker is seen on a car at the start of a protest by ride share drivers on August 20, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. – Rideshare service rivals Uber and Lyft were given a temporary reprieve on August 20 from having to reclassify drivers as employees in their home state of California by August 21. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An Uber driver is charged with raping a female passenger who police said fell asleep before waking up as she was attacked during a ride in metro Las Vegas.

Dawed Oumer Mekonene, 30, was arrested Tuesday and remained in jail Friday pending a court hearing on charges of sexual assault and battery by strangulation to commit sexual assault, according to Clark County Detention Center records.

Online court records didn’t list a defense attorney for the man who might comment on his behalf about the allegations but said he was represented by the public defender’s office. The office was closed Friday for the holiday.

An arrest report said Mekonene, after stopping to rape the out-of-state passenger, took her to her destination at an apartment complex, pulled her out of the car and threw her clothes and belongings at her.

The woman ran inside and asked the front desk for help, the report said.

According to the report, police used Uber records to identify the driver and obtained surveillance video showing the woman being dropped off.

Uber told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an email that it was working with police in their investigation.

“The details described by the rider are horrific, and we immediately deactivated the driver,” the Uber email said.

The company’s website says background checks are conducted on its drivers yearly to check for criminal and driving histories and “uses technology to look for issues in between” those checks.

Uber also allows users of its app to report safety concerns to local law enforcement.

West

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241202111905

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Partly Cloudy

la

59°F Partly Cloudy Feels like 59°
Wind
3 mph SSW
Humidity
75%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies during the evening. Areas of fog developing after midnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable.
49°F Mostly cloudy skies during the evening. Areas of fog developing after midnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph N
Precip
12%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Crescent