Seattle Uber driver charged with rape and kidnapping after attacking female passenger

OLYMPIA, Washington — Prosecutors in Thurston County on Tuesday filed charges against an Uber driver accused of driving a drunk passenger to a remote area over the weekend and raping her.

Ahmed Hassan Ali, 58, of Seattle, is charged with second-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping with aggravated circumstances for sexual motive.

According to the police report, Ali was driving for Uber on Saturday morning when he picked up an intoxicated woman who was at a bar in Olympia.

WATCH | Uber driver held on $100,000 bail for kidnapping and rape after passenger attacked

Investigators allege Ali marked the woman’s ride as completed on the Uber app, but then left her in the car, drove to 6th Avenue SE in an unincorporated area of ​​Thurston County and raped her.

The victim’s family panicked when she did not arrive home and her father tracked her location to a parking lot near the Nisqually River, the police report said.

The father and other family members drove to the scene and found the woman naked in the back seat of Ali’s car. According to the sheriff’s office report, Ali apparently pulled up his pants while climbing over the center console.

Investigators said family members attacked Ali and dragged the woman from the car. At some point during the altercation, the victim’s father fired a gun twice, but the bullets did not hit anyone, the report said.

RELATED TOPICS: Rideshare driver shot and then arrested for raping and kidnapping drunk passenger

Neighbors called 911 to report the shooting, and police officers stopped Ali’s vehicle as he drove out of the area. An officer found Ali bleeding profusely from his head and hands when contacted, but the report notes Ali was in a hurry to leave and initially refused medical treatment.

In a court hearing on Monday, prosecutors said Ali’s injuries were so severe that it was suspicious that Ali would try to refuse medical help.

A judge set Ali’s bail at $100,000 at the hearing. Jail records show he paid bail Monday night and was released from custody.

Ali is scheduled to appear at arraignment on July 2.

In response to Ali’s arrest, Uber sent the following statement to KOMO News:

The driver’s behavior is appalling and has no place in our society or on the Uber platform. We take reports of this nature very seriously and removed the driver’s access to the platform as soon as we became aware of the incident. We have a dedicated team standing by to assist law enforcement with their investigation.