A rideshare driver from Cary faces multiple charges, including felony kidnapping, for an incident involving a rider.
"I feel violated. I'm scared for my life now," that rider, who did not want to be identified, told WRAL News.
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Ryan James Davey, 30, of Cary, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony kidnapping, driving while impaired, sexual battery, indecent exposure, having an open container and resisting a public officer.
The City-County Bureau of Identification said Davey was a Lyft driver. WRAL News has reached out to Lyft to ask how long he had been driving for them and whether he had any history of complaints from app users.
An arrest warrant accuses Davey of kidnapping a rider on Tuesday. The warrant states Davey sexually assaulted the victim, including "grabbing" the rider's face and "forcing the victim" to kiss him by force and against the rider's will.
"He yanked me by my coat and tried to start kissing me," the rider said. "I pushed him back ...
"I didn’t know if he was going to rape me or throw me in a ditch. ... It was pretty scary. It was scary."
The warrant indicates Davey exposed himself to the rider inside his car, a black Kia, while on Rock Quarry Road in Raleigh. He is also accused of drinking and driving.
"When police got there he was butt naked trying to fight them," the rider said of Davey.
When confronted by an officer, the warrant says, Davey refused to provide his driver's license and was uncooperative. According to documents, Davey "was not polite" and "refused to comply" with any of the officer's demands or requests.
A search of Davey's criminal history shows previous charges of DWI, speeding, driving without a license and driving with an expired registration or inspection. WRAL News asked Lyft how he was able to become a driver, given that history.
Lyft provided an overview of policies and processes when vetting a new driver, including initial and annual background checks and identity verifications.
In response to Davey's arrest, a Lyft spokesperson said:
The behavior described is appalling and will not be tolerated. As soon as we learned of these allegations, we contacted the rider to offer support and permanently removed the driver from the Lyft platform. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation. Lyft spokesperson
The rider told WRAL News that Lyft was a primary source of transportation.
Instead of going to work Wednesday, that rider was in court for Davey's first appearance.
"I’m scared to get in a Lyft again," the rider said. "That was my main source. I’m really not sure. I’m supposed to be to work today."
