An Uber driver was charged with sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman early Sunday morning, while dropping her off in the North End neighborhood of Boston, according to Boston Police.
The woman told officers that she was with three friends when they called for an Uber ride at the end of the night. The woman's three friends were dropped off while she remained in the car to be dropped off at a different location. During the time she was alone with the Uber driver, he indecently touched her several times, according to police.
The woman was able to exit the car in the North End, where a bystander called the police.
Officers arrested 36-year-old Abderrahim Dakiri in East Boston and charged him with indecent assault and battery.
"Our thoughts are with the victim of this terrible incident. We have been in close contact with the BPD since the allegations were reported and have been proactively providing information to them that has helped with their investigation," Uber spokeswoman Kaitlin Durkosh said in a statement. "The driver in question has been removed from the platform pending the ongoing investigation."
Uber also confirmed that Dakiri passed the company's federal, state, and local background screening for UberX on January 15, 2015, and UberBLACK on September 23, 2014.
This is the second time a Boston Uber driver has been charged with sexual assault. In December, a driver for the ride-hail service allegedly beat, strangled, and sexually assaulted a young woman. He was also charged with kidnapping.