SHERMAN OAKS—A Lyft driver convicted of raping an unconscious woman was sentenced to six years in state prison on Tuesday, September 8.
Prosecutors said that the victim called for a Lyft after leaving a bar on October 2, 2018. Octavio Alvarez Gomez, 39, did not take her to her Van Nuys drop-off location. He instead went to a secluded area where he raped her.
Gomez was arrested on September 9, 2019 after a surveillance period by detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department. In August, he pled no contest to one felony count of raping an unconscious person. As part of his plea, he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Lyft previously announced changes in its screening process for drivers and partnered with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
“Our work on safety is never done, and we will continue to invest in new features, protocols, and policies to ensure Lyft is the safest form of transportation for our riders and drivers,” said a Lyft spokesperson in a statement.
