Uber Driver Charged With Raping Valley Passenger

VAN NUYS, CA — A ride-hailing driver pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he kidnapped a Los Angeles woman he picked up outside a bar and raped her after she fell unconscious.

Octavio Alvarez Gomez, 38, was charged with one count each of kidnapping to commit rape and rape of an unconscious person, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Authorities believe Gomez could have additional victims through his work as a ride-hailing driver.

The alleged attack occurred on the night of 2, 2018, when a woman ordered a Lyft ride to take her home from a pub in Van Nuys. According to police, Gomez picked her up

He allegedly failed to drop the woman off at the location she requested, drove some distance, stopped his vehicle in a secluded area and raped the woman, according to the District Attorney's Office.

"When they arrived in the area of the victim's residence and prior to her exiting the suspect's vehicle, she was sexually assaulted," police said. "The victim reported the incident to officers of the Los Angeles Police Department and detectives from Van Nuys Division initiated the investigation."

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Detectives identified the suspect as Gomez.

"A surveillance was conducted and the suspect was apprehended while continuing his work as a Lyft driver," police said.

If convicted as charged, Alvarez Gomez could face a life prison term, the District Attorney's Office said.

City News Service and Patch Staffer contributed to this report.