Police: Uber Ride Home Ended in Sexual Assault

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Image: Mengistu Asfaw (PWCPD)

Prince William County police detectives arrested a driver with the Uber ride service Wednesday for allegedly groping a woman after giving her a ride to Woodbridge.

The detectives, from the department’s Special Victims Unit, tracked down Mengistu Asfaw, 58, of 4620 Brentleigh Court, #102, in Annandale and charged him with misdemeanor sexual battery, according to a police report. Asfaw was released on a $5,000 bond, and his next date in court is Sept. 9.

The victim, 24, told police that the incident occurred at about 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 12. She and a friend were in the Clarendon section of Arlington, and needed a ride home to Woodbridge. They used the Uber smartphone app to summon a driver.

Asfaw responded to the call and drove both women to an address in the 2200 block of York Drive in Woodbridge. Once there, he exited the vehicle, approached the victim and inappropriately groped her over her clothing, the police have alleged.

The victim’s friend did not witness the encounter, the police said.