Uber driver charged with rape of 13-year-old girl in Washington, prosecutors say
An Uber driver is accused of raping a 13-year-old passenger in Washington last month, prosecutors say.
Mahdi Ibrahimi, 32, of Kent, Washington, was charged Nov. 2 with rape of a child in the second degree, according to charging documents.
The teen was put in an Uber ride on Oct. 15 by her father, police said in the probable cause statement.
She was taking the ride from her father’s home in Federal Way to her mother’s place in Burien, police said.
Federal Way is about 12 miles south of Burien.
A few minutes into the drive, Ibrahimi asked the girl to sit in the front seat with him after hearing her cry in the backseat, police said.
When Ibrahimi reached a red light, he touched her and then sexually assaulted the child, police said.
Her mother was concerned about her child taking an Uber and had the father send her screenshots of the ride so she knew what car to expect, the statement shows.
When the teen didn’t show up at the expected time, police said her mother became worried and walked outside to look for the driver.
Her mother saw Ibrahimi’s car parked several houses away from her home so she beckoned the driver over, authorities said in the statement.
The drop-off address on Uber was changed, but not by the child’s father, police said.
Nearly an hour after the teen was dropped off, her mom called 911 and reported the incident, police said.
Prosecutors asked the judge to set Ibrahimi’s bail at $125,000 at an initial hearing, but the judge set the bail at $25,000.
He will be arraigned on Nov. 10 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
McClatchy does not name sexual assault victims.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Uber driver charged with rape of 13-year-old girl in Washington, prosecutors say."
