Police: Uber Driver Facing Kidnapping Charges, Accused Of Holding 2 Women Against Their Will
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An Uber driver has been arrested, accused of holding two passengers against their will over the weekend.
According to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the alleged incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
Richard Lomotey, a 36-year-old man from Monaca, is an assistant professor at Penn State's Beaver Campus. He is also a part-time instructor at the Pitt School of Computing and Information, according to the University of Pittsburgh. He is now being held in jail.
Lomotey is facing three charges each of kidnapping, false imprisonment and harassment.
Lomotey allegedly commented on the looks of two women he picked up in his vehicle and ignored the GPS directions.
He pulled over near the intersection of South Homewood Avenue and Penn Avenue around 1:30 a.m., parked the vehicle and said, "You're not going anywhere," according to authorities.
Lomotey tried to lock the doors, but one of the victims was able to escape out of the back seat, authorities say.
The women ran from the car shouting for help.
Lomotey was identified by authorities by his Uber app ID and picture. He is believed to live in Beaver County. Police unsuccessfully searched for the car in the area.
Uber has responded to the incident saying, "What's been described is unacceptable. The driver's access to the app has been removed and we stand ready to cooperate with law enforcement to support their investigation."
#UPDATE: Uber driver and @PennStateBeaver assistant professor Richard Lomotey is behind bars facing kidnapping charges. The school just revoked his access to campus. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/Jy1asvinr5
— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) May 13, 2019
A warrant was issued for his arrest, and Penn State Beaver has revoked his access to campus.
In a statement, the Director of Campus Relations Kristen Doerschner said: "These allegations are deeply troubling and we have revoked his access to campus as we look into this matter. This is obviously a criminal matter and we cannot comment further."
