Lyft permanently bans suspected driver's account following USC student rape allegations
Lyft says that the driver suspected of an alleged rape of a USC student has been permanently banned from the rideshare platform.
The sexual assault allegedly happened in the Lyft car in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 as a female student returned home from West Hollywood. The Lyft driver allegedly raped the woman just outside her apartment, about a mile away from the university's campus.
"Safety is fundamental to Lyft. The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or anywhere in society. We have permanently banned a suspected driver's account from the Lyft platform and are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation," Lyft wrote in a statement.
The Los Angeles Police Department Newton Division did not have any new information to report on the incident as of Wednesday morning. They referred to an initial response from Nov. 2, stating "officers responded to investigate an alleged sexual assault."
The rideshare company clarified that they require initial and annual background checks and continuous monitoring of all of their drivers.
"Before giving a ride on the Lyft platform, all driver-applicants are screened for criminal offenses and driving incidents. Our annual criminal background checks are provided by a third-party company, and include a social security number trace, a nationwide criminal search, a county court records search, a federal criminal court records search as well as a U.S. Department of Justice 50-state sex offender registry search," the company wrote.
USC described the suspect's vehicle as a black sedan. The victim described the driver as a thinly-built man between 25 to 35 years old with a black beard and black hair.
The Los Angeles Police Department continues its investigation of the incident. Lyft says they have made several calls to LAPD and USC campus security to assist with the investigation.
Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with information regarding the case to call public safety at (213) 740-6000 or the LAPD at (213) 485-6571.