Uber driver arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS/ FOX 11) - A 37-year-old Uber driver working in Santa Ana has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting one of his passengers and authorities believe there may be other victims.

Angel Sanchez, who had been an Uber driver for a little over a year, was arrested Saturday at his home in Costa Mesa, the Santa Ana Police Department reported.

On Thursday evening, a woman requested an Uber ride from a company gathering to her home in Santa Ana. She was picked up by Sanchez in a 2016 gray Toyota Sienna, driven to a street near her home and allegedly sexually assaulted inside the van.

After the assault, the woman ran from the suspect's vehicle and immediately called the police.

Uber helped law enforcement officials track down the driver, police said, and the company issued the following statement: ``What the rider has reported to police is deeply troubling and will not be tolerated. The driver has been banned from the app. We will continue to support police with their investigation.''

Uber officials noted that no related negative feedback about the driver had been submitted.

Law enforcement officials said they believe there may be more victims because of the way the alleged assault was committed on someone who was vulnerable and unconscious.

Sanchez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to Orange County jail records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Central Jail Court.

Santa Ana police detectives asked anyone who may have witnessed Sanchez commit this or other sexual assaults to call (714) 245-8412.

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