According to police, a Denver Lyft driver has been accused of sexually assaulting and kidnapping at least 10 women in the period September 2018-Jul 2022. Denver Post.
According to the Denver Post, police claim John Edgar Pastor Mendoza, 41, kidnapped at minimum 10 women.
Pastor-Mendoza faces 41 felonies including 12 counts for sexual assault, 18 charges of attempted sexual attack, and 10 counts of kidnapping.
According to authorities, Pastor-Mendoza was the driver for the women who used Lyft ride-sharing app Lyft in order to request a ride. CBS News reported.
“Pastor-Mendoza allegedly responded as the driver when the women used a ride-sharing app to request a ride,” the Denver D.A.’s office Statement. “Prosecutors claim that he would either sexually assault his female victims in his vehicle or take them to his home and assault them there. On July 21, 2022, Denver police received a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) match from evidence collected from three victims linking Pastor-Mendoza to the alleged sexual assaults.”
Denver police request that anyone with information regarding Pastor-Mendoza call 720-913 2000.
Digital reached out to Denver’s criminal courts to find out if Pastor-Mendoza had entered a plea or is represented by a lawyer. However, Digital has not received a response.
Digital reached out Lyft to get comment. A spokesperson for Lyft stated in a statement that the story was being covered by Digital “The behavior described is absolutely appalling, and the driver is no longer on the Lyft platform. We have been in touch with law enforcement to assist with their investigation and stand ready to provide support in an ongoing capacity.”
The Lyft spokesperson also said that “Lyft has no records of such rides. Lyft riders did not report any of these incidents. We believe that the driver was targeting riders using rideshare but offering rides off-the platform to them. [not booked through the Lyft app]. The District Attorney’s Office suggested similar findings.”
Lyft also added that: “The best and most effective way for passengers to ensure they’re getting in the right car is to match the license plate shown in the Lyft app with the license plate of the arriving vehicle. This is safer because it’s done outside the vehicle before passengers enter. Before every ride, we send out push notifications to remind riders.”
Police were tipped by a civilian to Pastor-Mendoza after a photo of him was given to them with the driver inside a club and a photo of his vehicle and driver’s license, according to the Denver Post. Investigators presented a photo lineup to a victim, who picked out Pastor-Mendoza as the man who assaulted her, according to the affidavit, the Denver Post reported.
The alleged victims described in the arrest warrant obtained by Law & CrimeAccording to the report, they experienced a blackout after having consumed alcohol. They then allegedly woken up in a home or vehicle and found a man.
Law and Crime reported that the suspect’s description was roughly similar to the one alleged to have perpetrated the crime. He described himself as Hispanic or Latino, with short or curly hair and between 35 and 40. Law and Crime said that he spoke with an accent.
The women described losing intimate personal items, usually phones and underwear and when performing a search of Pastor-Mendoza’s home, authorities allegedly discovered a cardboard box with 18 phones, Law and Crime reported.
Police believe that there could be many more victims with the reported 10 cases and 18 phones found.
Pastor-Mendoza initially was charged Aug. 29, but the Denver Post reported that the complaint against him was amended last week.
According to Denver Post, he is due to appear in court on Nov. 4.
According to the district attorney’s office, Mr. Pastor Mendoza has not yet entered plea. This was confirmed by an email from Digital. He is currently being represented by the Office of the Public Defender.