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An Uber driver has been charged with raping an unconscious teenage passenger as he ferried her to her home in Laguna Beach. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, 23-year-old Samer Alaaeldin Mahran of Huntington Beach was charged Tuesday with a string of felonies, including rape by use of drugs, forcible oral copulation on a minor over 14, unlawful sexual intercourse and sexual penetration of a child over 14 by foreign object.
The charges stem from an incident on November 5, in which authorities say a relative of a 17-year-old girl called for an Uber to take the teen from a bar in Huntington Beach to her home in Laguna Beach at about 2 a.m., KTLA reports. Mahran was the driver assigned to the ride. Relatives became concerned when the estimated drop-off time had passed and the girl still wasn't home. One of them used Uber's GPS tracking to locate Mahran's car, which they found parked near the girl's house. Upon approaching the car, the relative reported finding Mahran and the teen both in the backseat of the car.
The relative removed the girl from the car and Mahran allegedly got back behind the wheel and drove away. The relative called police, who were able to use Mahran's driver profile on the Uber app as well as his license plate to find and arrest Mahran on Saturday.
The District Attorney's office states that Mahran not only knew that the girl had passed out due to drinking, but that he was also aware that she was 17 years old.
He will next appear in court on December 2. He faces a maximum sentence of 28 years, if convicted, ABC 7 reports.
We have reached out to Uber for a statement, and will update this post when we receive a reply.
Update, 9:30 a.m.:
Uber has issued the following statement:
We’re devastated by what this family has gone through and our hearts are with them. We’ll continue working with police to support the investigation and proceedings. The individual has been permanently barred from the app.
