Virginia Beach Uber driver charged with sexually assaulting customer

A Virginia Beach Uber driver stood in court on Tuesday to face charges of raping a female customer on Saturday.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Sewanou Bisile Yoro, 34, of Norfolk, picked up the victim, an adult female, in the Virginia Beach Oceanside area after she requested an Uber ride on Saturday night. He’s accused of sexually assaulting her at some point between 9:34 p.m. and 10:30 p.m, while around the Bay Colony area.

Court documents indicate that Yoro, who worked for Uber for around three years, had no prior criminal history record. He’s lived alone in a home he owns off of W. 32nd St. in Norfolk for seven years. On Tuesday, he was appointed a public defender.

Uber spokeswoman Jodi Page said that not only did the company fire and ban Yoro, but that they’re actively cooperating with police during the investigation.

“The driver has been banned from Uber. The type of conduct that has been described has no place on the app or anywhere.”

This isn’t the first time an Uber has been arrested and accused of sexual assault. In October 2015, an Uber driver from Anaheim, California, was accused of picking up a female customer from a bar and raping her. According to the district attorney’s office, the driver, Omar Mahmoud Mousa, dropped the victim off at a hotel, followed her to her hotel room, and allegedly began sexually assaulting her while she was highly intoxicated.

In August 2016, an Amherst, Massachusetts, Uber driver was accused of raping a 16-year-old passenger. The suspect reportedly forced himself on her after pulling his car over in a remote location in the in the Malden-Melrose area.

Yoro is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 4.