A 52-year-old Uber driver has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female passenger in El Cajon, police said Wednesday.
John David Sanchez was on duty as an Uber driver when he gave the woman a ride in late February and allegedly sexually assaulted her, police said.
El Cajon police investigators have been investigating since the incident last month. After serving search warrants on Sanchez’s home as well as his vehicle – a silver 2012 Scion XB – they arrested him Tuesday.
Sanchez was booked in the San Diego County Jail on suspicion of felony sex assault charges.
Police said the ride-sharing service has been fully cooperative with the investigation and immediately suspended the driver. Sanchez has not driven for Uber since the incident, police said.
Wednesday afternoon, Uber released this statement on the case:
"Uber takes safety incidents like this very seriously, and our thoughts are with the victim and her family. Uber immediately removed this driver-partner from the platform following our initial contact with the El Cajon Police Department. We have been working closely with law enforcement to assist their investigation."
