A 23-year-old Uber driver is accused of raping a teenager in his car after picking her up while she was intoxicated.
Samer Alaaeldin Mahran, a resident of Huntington Beach, California, was charged on Tuesday with rape by use of drugs, forcible oral copulation upon a minor over 14 years of age, sexual penetration of a child over age 14 by foreign object and force, and unlawful sexual intercourse. If convicted, he could face up to 28 years in prison.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's office, Mahran was driving for Uber around 2 a.m. on Saturday when a family member of the 17-year-old girl called a ride for her. The girl had been drinking near a bar and was intoxicated, prosecutors said.
Mahran did not take the girl to her home in Laguna Beach as requested and instead sexually assaulted her in his car's backseat, prosecutors said. The teen was so intoxicated she was unconscious and could not consent, prosecutors said.
When the girl did not arrive home, another family member used Uber's tracking feature to find the car. When they arrived, Mahran was still assaulting the girl, authorities said. As her relative helped the girl out of the car, Mahran climbed back into the driver's seat and fled, prosecutors said.
He was later identified with assistance from Uber and arrested. He was released on $100,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 2.
Mahran had been driving with Uber since March, and a company spokesperson said since the allegations were made, he is no longer driving with the company.
"We’re devastated by what this family has gone through and our hearts are with them," an Uber spokesperson said. "We’ll continue working with police to support the investigation and proceedings. The individual has been permanently barred from the app."