An Uber Driver With a Violent History
According to North Miami Beach Police, a woman who was visiting South Florida got into an Uber late on a Saturday night in March. The driver, a man named Emilio Victores, already had served time in prison due to convictions stemming from several violent felonies. His list of convictions include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon attempted rovers with a gun or deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a weapon, and grand theft.
The survivor of the attack told police that she hailed an Uber pool ride and got into the front seat of the car when a group got in after her. The woman proceeded to fall asleep during the ride, only to awake to find the driver attempting to sexually assault her. The woman then pushed her assailant off of her and yelled, “STOP! GET OFF ME!”, to which Victores replied with an apology and complied with her request.
Uber’s Background Check Cleared the Driver
Prosecutors voiced concerns about how someone with such a criminal history would be allowed to drive for Uber. Unfortunately, we are all too aware of the frequency with which these kind of assaults take place. While Uber says they perform background checks on their drivers, the reality is that these checks are far from adequate.
In the case of Victores, Uber’s background check cleared him because his last conviction was back in 2001. While this is true, he was only released from prison on those charges in 2016. This is a prime illustration of the giant gaps in the vetting process Uber uses. Due to Uber’s negligence, another violent criminal was granted access to a vulnerable young woman. Now she has to deal with the repercussions for the rest of her life.
We Can Help
If you were sexually assaulted by a ridesharing driver, whether you were intoxicated or not, you have a case. Call an Uber and Lyft sexual assault lawyer at Estey & Bomberger today for a free, confidential consultation (844) 848-3149.