Rideshare Driver Accused Of Sex Assault Suspect In Other Attacks

BELLEVUE, WA — Bellevue police have arrested a rideshare driver for sexually assaulting an Arizona woman in January, but police believe he might have carried out other assaults in the area.

The arrest comes after recent incidents where fake rideshare drivers have tricked women into accepting rides. Last December, a woman was raped on a ride between Ballard and White Center after she got into a fake rideshare car. A Tukwila man, Israel Ramos-Islas, 34, was charged with rape in that case this month.

In the Bellevue case, the suspected attacker, Ghassan Shakir, 34, was a verified driver for both Uber and Lyft. On Jan. 20, police say an Arizona woman got into Shakir's car outside a Bellevue bar. The car had a rideshare symbol on the dashboard, but Shakir's car was not the one she ordered.

The woman fell asleep in the car on the ride back to her Seattle hotel. She awoke to find Shakir groping her, according to police. She was also handcuffed. She eventually got away from the attacker, and found herself lost in Renton off I-405.

Bellevue police found out through the King County Sherriff's Office about a similar assault case that happened in March in SeaTac, plus two others in Seattle and Kirkland. Police say they found handcuffs and other evidence in Shakir's car linking him to other crimes.

In the Kirkland attack, Kirsten Page ordered an Uber to take her home from a bar on St. Patrick's Day weekend. During the ride, the man got off at the wrong exit and pulled his car into a dark parking lot. She tried to get out of the car, but the child locks were engaged. She was only able to escape when the man paused his attack. She told her story to KOMO News after news broke about the Ramos-Islas fake rideshare driver incident.

He is being held in the King County Jail on $2 million bond on charges of rape, indecent liberties, and involuntary confinement.

"The suspect is alleged to have been offering his victims rides 'off-app,' to avoid being tracked. Police believe there may be other victims, and are urging anyone that believes they may have been targeted by the suspect to report the incident to police," Bellevue police said Monday.

Just a few days ago, Uber said it would update its app with new safety features to help people spot fake rideshare drivers. The change comes after University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was killed by a fake Uber driver in March.

Tips to ID fake rideshare drivers from Bellevue police:

• Verify the license plate of the vehicle you are getting into is the same as the car on your app. Many ride-sharing vehicles are similar.
• Ask “What’s my name?” Verify that the driver picking you up knows your name and is in fact the driver you have called.
• Never get into a vehicle with an unknown driver.
• Never accept rides from someone claiming to be a ride-share driver if you haven’t ordered their specific vehicle through the app.
• Report any unacceptable behavior to the ride-share company and the police.