Laguna Beach police say they arrested an Uber driver for suspicion of raping a customer he was driving home to Laguna Beach at 2:31 a.m. from Huntington Beach on Saturday, Nov. 5,
The driver fled the scene of the assault, which took place near the customer’s home, police Sgt. Tim Kleiser said in an announcement Tuesday, Nov. 9.
Uber’s incident team assisted police with information about the driver, Samer Mahran, 22, of Huntington Beach, who was arrested at his home within hours of the assault, Kleiser said.
Mahran started working for Uber in March and passed a criminal background check that showed no incidents, said Tracey Breeden, an Uber safety spokeswoman in Phoenix. Drivers who violate the company’s professionalism guidelines lose access to the Uber platform, but Breeden could not say how many drivers have been stripped of access. Mahran, though, has been permanently barred from the app, she said.
Criminal incidents are “rare compared to the millions of trips drivers make,” she said. “Any incident like this is horrible.”
Mahran was booked at the Orange County Jail and his bail was set at $100,000, Kleiser said.
The investigation is continuing to learn Mahran’s whereabouts after he left Laguna Beach, said Kleiser, who appealed to the public to come forward with information about this suspect or the case.
Kleiser can be reached at 949 464- 6671 or [email protected].
