Uber Driver Arrested After Allegedly Kidnapping Woman In West Hollywood
A 32-year-old Encino man who drives for the ride-sharing company Uber has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 26-year-old woman for the purpose of sexual assault, according to KTLA.
The woman had been drinking at a West Hollywood nightclub and a valet asked the off-duty driver to give the intoxicated female a lift home. But the Uber driver, Frederick Dencer, decided to transport her to a motel room in Van Nuys instead.
SEE ALSO: University Students Take Sexual Assault Into Their Own Hands
The woman woke up next to a shirtless Dencer and left the motel to call police from a 7-Eleven. Police booked Dencer on Monday after he was found at the same location. The woman was not sexually assaulted or injured.
Uber released a statement on Tuesday defending its policy and immediately distance itself from Dencer.
"The facts are unknown at this stage and it’s certainly unclear that this is an Uber-related incident, as the driver in question was not logged in, connected to or operating on the platform at the time," the company said in a statement.
Reach Editor-in-Chief Will Federman here. And follow him and his three cats on Twitter.