A ride share service driver was surrounded by a half dozen officers and arrested on suspicion of sexual battery involving a USC student, the Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday.
The man, identified as 24-year-old Rodney Davis, was arrested Saturday after a female student claimed the driver grabbed her from behind as she left the car, LAPD said.
Uber and Lyft did not confirm that the man worked for either service, but the car the man was driving had "Uber" and "Lyft" decals on the car. Police said he was a ride share driver, but did not name the service.
The student who said she was attacked said the incident occurred when she was getting out of the driver's car near campus on 30th street. She said she escaped after grabbing her cell phone.
Police said she used a campus safety app called "LiveSafe" to call for help. The app has an emergency "push button" so students can contact the USC Department of Public Safety to easily report "suspicious activity" or even crimes in progress, as well as location services to "notify friends of your route through campus."
Campus police responded within minutes of the student pressing the button, according to USC.
"When you call 911, they're going to tell you call campus police because they directly patrol in the area," Gina Laret, a USC senior, said.
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USC and Uber also have a partnership that enables students to ride for free.
"Nightly between 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., if you call Campus Cruiser and the wait time exceeds 15 minutes, the dispatcher will invite you to request a free Uber ride via the USC button on the Uber app. During these hours, rides that stay entirely within Campus Cruiser boundaries will be paid for automatically by USC, but only if requested via the USC button," the USC site reads.
In light of the recent arrest, USC students said it makes them think twice about using a ride share service.
"It's a little disheartening," Laret said. "It's supposed to be a service to help get you home quicker so we're not waiting on street at night."
Police were not releasing the driver's name or any more details on potential charges until a thorough investigation into the incident.
