Charges: Lyft driver takes customer to her West St. Paul home and sexually assaults her

Thanks for Reading! Don't miss this deal


Get Standard Digital access to enjoy this article and more

A South St. Paul Lyft driver was charged Friday with sexually assaulting a customer.

Mahmoud Mohamed Hamada (Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)

Mahmoud Mohamed Hamada, 26, was charged in Dakota County District Court with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to the criminal complaint, Hamada drove a woman to her house on Dodd Road in West St. Paul on Thursday. When they arrived, he asked to use the bathroom. The woman told police that she allowed him to come in, but picked up a baseball bat for protection.

Hamada briefly entered the bathroom, but then exited and rushed at her, according to the charges. He grabbed the baseball bat and threw it, saying “beautiful girl, let me touch you,” the complaint states.

The woman told police she yelled for help, but Hamada told her to be quiet, according to the complaint. He pinned her up against the wall and sexually assaulted her, the complaint states.

The woman provided police with a Hamada’s description via the Lyft app which said he was driving a black SUV.

Police located Hamada and arrested him. As of Friday, he was in the Dakota County Jail with a $100,000 bail which has not been paid. His next court appearance is Nov. 17 in Hastings.

The Associated Press reports that Lyft has received an increasing number of sexual assault reports in recent years with more than 1,800 in 2019. Lyft released numbers on assaults two years after rival Uber put out a similar report that showed more than 3,000 sexual assaults reported on rides in 2018 in the U.S.

View more on TwinCities.com