Charges have been filed against an Uber driver accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting an intoxicated female passenger who was picked up at a police station in Tustin, prosecutors said Friday.
Amir Attia, 45, is seen in an undated booking photo released by the Santa Ana Police Department.
Amir Attia, 45, of Tustin was charged with two felony counts of sexual penetration and two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Attia was arrested by Santa Ana police on Wednesday, about a year and a half after the alleged incident took place.
In late July 2018, Attia was driving for Uber when he picked up a 25-year-old woman from the Tustin Police Department, the release stated.
She had just been released from police custody after a traffic collision led to her arrest on suspicion of DUI, according to prosecutors.
During the ride home, Attia allegedly repeatedly stopped the vehicle and sexually assaulted the woman, who was intoxicated at the time, the release stated.
A sexual assault kit was taken the following day after she went to two hospitals.
Investigators got a confirmed DNA match more than a year later, the Santa Ana Police Department said Thursday.
After his arrest, Attia confessed to sexually assaulting the woman, according to a police statement.
Inmate records indicate that he remained at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange as of early Friday afternoon and is being held on $100,000 bail.
Attia, who has a prior sexual battery conviction from 1993, could face a prison sentence of up to six years if convicted on all counts, according to the DA’s office.
“Ridesharing services provide a valuable service in preventing intoxicated people from getting behind the wheel,” Orange County DA Todd Spitzer said in the release. “It is tragic that this predator used his client’s state of intoxication to victimize her.”
Attia was removed as a driver for the ride-hailing app in 2018 after Uber learned of the “disturbing statement,” according to a statement from the company.
“What the rider reported to police is deeply troubling,” the statement read.
Santa Ana police are still investigating and have asked anyone with information to contact Cpl. Maria Lopez by calling 714-245-8542 or emailing at mlopez15@santa-ana.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Orange Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.