MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 26-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on accusations that he raped a tourist after picking her up from a bar in Wynwood while he was working as a Lyft driver.
According to his arrest report, Kevyn Rojas, of Miami, picked up the woman who is from Texas around 4:45 a.m. Feb. 27.
Miami Beach police said the woman, who was out with a friend, told officers that she was intoxicated and threw up several times as she was leaving the bar, so she requested a Lyft through her mobile app to take her back to the Berkeley Shore Hotel in Miami Beach where she was staying.
Her friend took another Lyft home, authorities said. According to the arrest report, Rojas picked up the victim and made some comments about her dress before she fell asleep in the backseat of his car.
Police said the woman woke up when Rojas’ cellphone made a pinging sound, indicating that they had arrived at her destination.
The victim told police that she spotted her hotel, but Rojas continued driving away.
According to his arrest report, Rojas parked his car, got into the backseat and raped the victim despite her repeated orders for him to stop.
Police said he then drove her back to the hotel, where she called police.
According to the report, surveillance video corroborated the victim’s version of events regarding Rojas driving away from the hotel before returning to drop her off.
He was arrested Tuesday on a charge of sexual battery on a physically helpless victim.
Rojas appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered held in lieu of a $500,000 bond. He has also been ordered to surrender his Colombian and American passports.
“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the behavior described is appalling,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “The driver has been permanently removed from the Lyft community and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation in any way we can.”
Below is a list of ways Lyft says it works to ensure the safety of its passengers:
· Driver screening: We screen everyone who drives with Lyft before they give a single ride. We require initial and annual background checks, continuous criminal and driving record monitoring, as well as community safety education created in consultation with RAINN, North America’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
· In-app safety features: We’ve launched a series of in-app safety features allowing riders to share their location with family and friends, connect directly with Lyft Support, and quickly and easily access emergency assistance from the Lyft app. Two of our newest features include:
o Emergency Help, supported by ADT, allows riders and drivers to quickly and discreetly connect with an ADT security professional, who can alert authorities so they can arrive at the user’s live location, equipped with ride details like the vehicle’s make and model, license plate number, and the intended drop-off location.
o With Smart Trip Check-in, Lyft can reach out to riders and drivers if their ride appears to be irregular and can connect them to our own Safety team or emergency assistance.
· 24/7 support: Our Safety team is available 24/7 so riders and drivers can always reach a live person if they have concerns or feel unsafe, and so we can take action – including investigating and working with law enforcement when appropriate – to help protect our community.