Chico Police Chief Mike O’Brien confirmed to local media that police detectives are investigating a sexual assault claim and are working to get information released to the public. The victim’s roommate says the assault happened outside their apartment in Chico early on the morning of Wednesday, January 22. According to the roommate, the victim was out with friends that evening, and around midnight they put her in a Lyft to go home, as they wanted to get some food before heading back to their apartment.
The roommate says that when the rest of the group arrived home, they realized their friend wasn’t in the apartment, so they started looking for her outside. That’s when one of them noticed a vehicle parked near their front door. She then noticed the lit placard that is placed on the dashboard of Lyft vehicles. When one of their roommates approached the vehicle, she began screaming. The other’s rushed over and found their friend in the backseat being sexually assaulted by the driver.
The women were able to fend off the assailant and recover their friend, who is currently recovering from the assault. According to the Chico Police Department, detectives are actively conducting an investigation into the sexual assault claim.