A rideshare driver is behind bars after he was accused of sexually battering a woman who’d previously been his passenger in Hialeah, police said.
Joe Luis Suarez, 51, was arrested Monday on a sexual battery charge in the alleged incident that was reported back in July, an arrest report said.
According to the report, the 63-year-old victim told police her daughter had requested an Uber ride to take her to Boca Raton, and Suarez picked her up.
The woman said along the way they exchanged phone numbers for future Uber needs, and after a few days he called her, saying he was near her home and asking if he could pick her up for coffee, the report said.
She said she accepted and he picked her up and drove to Victor Wilde Park in Hialeah, where he suddenly pulled over, jumped on top of her and started kissing her before she pushed him off her, the report said.
The woman said Suarez then grabbed her hand and forced it on his private parts before she jumped out of his car, the report said.
She said Suarez got out and forced her into the back seat where he sexually battered her, then drove her home, the report said
Suarez was found by police on Monday and arrested and booked into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.
An Uber spokesperson released a statement on the incident on Tuesday.
“While this did not occur on an Uber trip, we are sickened by this report and have banned the driver from the platform. Uber is deeply committed to safety, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation however we can,” the statement read.