KGO -- Police in Union City announced the arrest of an Uber driver who is charged with sexually assaulting a young woman last month. While the man was an Uber driver, it was not the Uber the woman or her friends had ordered. Mendez says in the early morning hours of July 14, a young woman got in the car of an Uber driver, who was off work.
Police say that man, year-old Kevin Barillas-Saballos, drove the woman from San Francisco to her home in Union City, where he sexually assaulted her. He was arrested Tuesday at his place of employment in South San Francisco without incident. Barillas-Saballos was arraigned Thursday and charged with false imprisonment, kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual battery and criminal threats. Police are looking for any other possible victims. An Uber spokesman told ABC7 News that Barillas-Saballos had been driving with Uber since early and did not have any complaints while working for the company.
Uber released a statement that says, "What police describe is disturbing. We took immediate action and removed this driver from the app as soon as we learned about this incident and will continue to work with police.
Uber says it is important for riders to make sure the car you get into matches the information that shows up in the Uber app, specifically the license plate, the car make and model and the driver's name. Uber says riders can ask their driver, "Who are you here for? The driver will always have the rider's name in their app. On Tuesday night in San Mateo, another woman was sexually assaulted by a man who police say was pretending to be a ride share driver.
He picked the victim up near Highway 92 in a grey four-door sedan. She later escaped. Even though the attacker does not drive for Uber or Lyft, the incident again highlights the need for people using ride share services to be vigilant. Mendez recommends people carry personal safety devices, like handheld alarms and pepper spray. To get safety tips from Uber's official blog, visit this page. For more stories, photos, and video on Uber, visit this page. Welcome, Mickey. Manage MyDisney Account.
