Canada - Uber driver arrested in connection with two sexual assaults, Toronto, April 2019

[dotr]

rbbm.
Uber driver arrested in connection with two sexual assaults

Taneem Aziz, 36, is shown in this handout photo. Aziz is facing charges in connection with two sexual assaults.
They say that a 24-year-old female victim was waiting for an Uber that she ordered when a black SUV pulled up. Police say that the woman got into the vehicle mistakenly believing that it was her Uber.

The driver then drove the woman to a secluded spot, where is alleged to have sexually assaulted her.

Police say the driver then continued to drive around, eventually allowing the woman to exit the SUV.

The second incident happened on April 8 at around 1 p.m.

Police say that a 21-year-old woman entered a black SUV in the Royal York Road and Evans Avenue area after ordering an Uber, however the vehicle was not her Uber.

The driver then proceeded to take the woman away from Toronto, refusing to let her leave.

Police say that the driver took the woman to a fast food parking lot in Mississauga, where she attempted to get assistance from a bystander.

He then drove her to a secluded side street, where he is alleged to have sexually assaulted her."
He said that police remain concerned that there could be additional victims out there who have not yet come forward.

“There is a gap (between the alleged offences) and we know that he had been an Uber driver for that time period between the two sexual assaults, so if someone has had a bad encounter with him we would like to hear from them. Not necessarily just for the person to report the crime, of course we would like to hear that, but also to give that person some of the help and support that they need after a violent sexual encounter,” he said."

 

[dotr]

Toronto Police Service :: News Release #43696
"Taneem Aziz, 36, of Mississauga, was arrested and charged with:
1. two counts of Sexual Assault
2. Forcible Confinement
3. Extortion

He is scheduled to appear at Toronto West Court on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 10 a.m., in room 204.

He was employed as an Uber driver.

Police believe there may be other victims.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World."

 

[otto]

There's another recent discussion (don't remember details) where a young female law student left a bar, hopped into a vehicle that she thought was an Uber, and she was murdered. It sounds like the Toronto women had a very close call - as though a serial rapist (potential future murderer) was just getting started.

Given that this is now so common - where people get into a stranger's vehicle thinking it is an Uber, and where predators are relying on carelessness in passengers - something different needs to be done to improve communication between passenger and Uber driver.

Uber currently allows the passenger to track the driver and vehicle info via phone, but maybe Uber drivers need something else that they wear or hold up to simplify verification, like maybe a coded number that is unique to the passenger. That is, maybe there should be more onus on the driver to visually demonstrate to passengers (even those under the influence) that they are Uber.

 

[dotr]

There's another recent discussion (don't remember details) where a young female law student left a bar, hopped into a vehicle that she thought was an Uber, and she was murdered. It sounds like the Toronto women had a very close call - as though a serial rapist (potential future murderer) was just getting started.

Given that this is now so common - where people get into a stranger's vehicle thinking it is an Uber, and where predators are relying on carelessness in passengers - something different needs to be done to improve communication between passenger and Uber driver.

Uber currently allows the passenger to track the driver and vehicle info via phone, but maybe Uber drivers need something else that they wear or hold up to simplify verification, like maybe a coded number that is unique to the passenger. That is, maybe there should be more onus on the driver to visually demonstrate to passengers (even those under the influence) that they are Uber.

This is the case you are referring to, just awful.
The odd thing in the TO case is that the alleged perp was in fact an uber driver, just not the uber the women ordered, slimy! imo.
Found Deceased - SC - Samantha Josephson, 21, Columbia, 29 March 2019 *Arrest* - #2

 

[otto]

I would like to know about Taneem Aziz. I have met new Canadians, male adults, who have said that Western women are okay with casual sex even if they don't know the man. This idea is so bizarre, yet some men raised in other parts of the world seem to believe it. I have wondered whether that is something they learn at school. If men are raised with this extreme view of Western women, this is not an easy problem to stop. I know this is a delicate topic to discuss or to even consider, but I am curious.

 

[Herat]

This is the case you are referring to, just awful.
The odd thing in the TO case is that the alleged perp was in fact an uber driver, just not the uber the women ordered, slimy! imo.
Found Deceased - SC - Samantha Josephson, 21, Columbia, 29 March 2019 *Arrest* - #2

Uber ( and maybe Lyft) seem to be attracting some horrible people who are premeditated in their stalking of unsuspecting passengers.

They really need to tighten up their driver criteria or they will face tremendous rebuke.

Do they photograph, fingerprint, and demand a DNA sample from those they employ?

(My small community doesn't have Uber and I have only used cabs with drivers I regularly patronize)

 

[otto]

Uber ( and maybe Lyft) seem to be attracting some horrible people who are premeditated in their stalking of unsuspecting passengers.

They really need to tighten up their driver criteria or they will face tremendous rebuke.

Do they photograph, fingerprint, and demand a DNA sample from those they employ?

(My small community doesn't have Uber and I have only used cabs with drivers I regularly patronize)

I think it's twofold. Companies like Uber need to take far more responsibility for their drivers and to complete extensive, in-depth criminal record checks at the international level, and they need a better system for passengers to identify their ride.

For example, if the ride had an ID number, and legitimate Uber drivers paid a flat rate to rent a digital display that could clearly display that number, then passengers would be much safer. One reason that Uber will not do this is because their focus is profit rather than passenger safety. At some point, passengers need to boycott Uber with the condition that safety must have a higher priority.

 

[Herat]

I think it's twofold. Companies like Uber need to take far more responsibility for their drivers and to complete extensive, in-depth criminal record checks at the international level, and they need a better system for passengers to identify their ride.

For example, if the ride had an ID number, and legitimate Uber drivers paid a flat rate to rent a digital display that could clearly display that number, then passengers would be much safer. One reason that Uber will not do this is because their focus is profit rather than passenger safety. At some point, passengers need to boycott Uber with the condition that safety must have a higher priority.

Yes, I didn't see how his vehicle was identified, but he could just have had a legitimate Uber sticker on it, or sign in the window.

 

[otto]

Yes, I didn't see how his vehicle was identified, but he could just have had a legitimate Uber sticker on it, or sign in the window.

It could be as simple as what happened in SC. Someone is expecting an Uber, someone drives up with a similar vehicle and maybe makes eye contact with the passenger who is wondering if it's the vehicle, and before you know it the passenger is talking to the driver and then jumps into the vehicle.

The passenger has the plate number, the vehicle type and there's a map tracker to see if the Uber vehicle is at the right location. Clearly most people don't verify the information before jumping into a stranger's vehicle.

 

[dotr]

Some comments by LE, video.
Uber driver charged with two sexual assaults

 

[dotr]

Another one! rbbm.
April 22 2019
Police urge rideshare service users to verify identity of driver following sexual assault
"Police are warning residents to always verify the identity of rideshare drivers after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man posing as her driver.

Police say that the 34-year-old victim had ordered a car online early Saturday morning and was waiting for her ride when she approached by a man in a dark four-door sedan posing as her driver.

They say that the woman got into the vehicle and was then sexually assaulted.

The incident came just hours after police announced that they had arrested an Uber driver in connection with two sexual assaults. In both of those cases, the suspect was not the Uber driver that the victim’s had ordered but allegedly pretended that he was."

Toronto Police Service :: News Release #43715
"a 34-year-old woman had ordered a car online

- she was approached by a man posing as her driver

- she got into a dark 4-door sedan

- she was sexually assaulted

The suspect is described as 30-35, dark brown complexion, young looking face, stocky build, and wearing a red shirt.

Police would like to remind the public that when ordering transportation via a rideshare app, make sure to verify the make, model, and licence plate of the vehicle, before you enter it."

 

[Herat]

Another one in Toronto?????

UBER needs to do something RIGHT NOW other than blame the victims

 

[PrairieWind]

Another one in Toronto?????

UBER needs to do something RIGHT NOW other than blame the victims

I had to read that again to realize that, yes, it was a separate sexual assault by a different driver. Good grief! I think women in the Toronto areas should maybe hold off on Uber until Uber can get a handle on safety.

 

[Herat]

So many women in Toronto don't even know about these separate rapes.

Even though there are police dispatches, it seems to be slipping very much under the news radar.

"It happens" is simply not an acceptable response. I agree that women, of all ages, need to boycott Uber until they can do more to screen their drivers.

Uber/Lyft are worth $$$$Billions. And taxi companies ? Vanishing

Look at what is behind the pathetic response of Uber - Not our problem, women need to be more careful.

 

[Herat]

So the second guy WASN'T a real Uber driver?

Another Nathan Rowlands in the making?

This is just more unacceptable violence against women