Lyft passenger kidnaps driver and sexually assaults her in park, Oklahoma cops say
A 20-year-old man hailed a Lyft using a woman’s profile and sexually assaulted his 54-year-old driver in her vehicle, according to Oklahoma police and news reports.
The Thursday, April 18, incident in Del City led to more than a half-dozen charges against the passenger, identified in news reports as Andre Hunter. He was arrested a day after the incident, jail records show.
Del City police said Hunter used a woman’s profile and name in the Lyft app, and he restrained the driver as she approached the passenger’s desired location, KFOR reported.
“He basically placed his arm around her neck and began threatening her life, was forcing her to drive to different places,” Del City Police Maj. Brad Cowden told KOCO.
He made the woman drive to a Del City park, where she said she was sexually assaulted while children played nearby, according to KWTV, citing police. Hunter reportedly made the Lyft driver call her boyfriend during the alleged assault, the news outlet reported from court documents.
Police said Hunter took control of the driver’s vehicle and dropped her off at an Oklahoma City church, according to KFOR. Her phone was left in the car.
Cowden told KFOR officers used the Life360 — a family location safety app — from the Lyft driver’s phone to track Hunter. He was arrested at Langston University.
The Lyft driver, according to KOCO, was taken to a hospital by a passerby after she was dropped off.
Hunter was charged with kidnapping, rape, sodomy and robbery, jail records show. He also faces multiple drug and firearm charges.
He was jailed on a $1 million bond, according to court records.
Hunter, a convicted felon, showed “no remorse for his actions” while being questioned by investigators, Cowden told KWTV.
“The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or society,” a Lyft spokesperson told the news outlets. “We have been in contact with the driver offering support, permanently banned the rider from the Lyft platform, and contacted law enforcement to assist with any investigation.”
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