Lyft passenger gropes driver and performs ‘lewd acts’ in backseat, Georgia cops say
A Lyft passenger was arrested after he’s accused of assaulting a driver, police in Georgia say.
Antonio Cartagena, 25, was using the rideshare service Oct. 10 when police say he groped the driver and performed “lewd acts” in the backseat, according to the Duluth Police Department.
It happened near the intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and North Berkeley Lake Road, police said in a news release. The man reached from the backseat and touched the 55-year-old woman inappropriately, authorities said.
The frightened driver told police she then turned around to see Cartagena had undressed and was half naked. He was also engaging in vulgar acts, she said.
Cartagena got out of the car and ran after the attack, according to police. He was arrested a short time later on charges of sexual battery and public indecency.
He was booked into Gwinnett County Jail and was released after making $11,400 bond, online records show.
“Safety is fundamental to Lyft,” a Lyft spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement. “The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or anywhere in society.”
“We permanently banned the individual from the Lyft platform and have reached out to the driver to offer our support,” the spokesperson said.
On its website, the rideshare service said it also connects drivers with ADT security in emergency situations and monitors rides in real-time, among other safeguards.
Duluth is about 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.
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