Saturday October 5, 2024
By Jackie Kent
TUKWILA, Wash. —Rideshare drivers are set to protest in Tukwila after prosecutors dropped charges against one driver who was arrested and charged with raping a passenger in Thurston County.
They're reportedly pushing for Ahmed Hassan Ali, 58, to be reinstated as an Uber driver, according to the Seattle Rideshare Association.
Court paperwork states prosecutors dismissed the charges without prejudice. Ali was facing one count of rape in the second degree and one count of kidnapping in the first degree with sexual motivation aggravating circumstance.
The deputy prosecuting attorney clarified that they reviewed the driver’s dash camera footage and they cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ali raped his passenger.
It's a turn of events as officials had previously claimed to have strong evidence against Ali. That evidence included GPS data and alleging he marked the ride as complete, then took the woman miles away from her home before her family found her unclothed in the back of Ali's car.
According to the arrest report, Ali was driving for Uber Saturday morning when he gave a ride to an intoxicated woman who was at a bar in Olympia.
The victim’s family became alarmed when she did not arrive at the house and her father tracked her location to a parking area near the Nisqually River, the arrest report said.
The father and other family members drove to the location and when they found the woman unclothed, Ali appeared to be pulling up his pants while climbing over the center console, according to the sheriff’s office report.
As KOMO News has reported, one of her family members fired a gun while they were beating up the Uber driver. The bullets did not strike anyone, according to the report.
Neighbors called 911 to report the gunfire and deputies stopped Ali’s vehicle as he was driving out of the area. A deputy noted that Ali was bleeding heavily from his head and hands when he was contacted, but the report notes Ali was in a hurry to leave and initially refused medical treatment.
Prosecutors said in a court hearing that they found it suspicious that he refused medical treatment for his severe injuries.
Uber sent KOMO the following statement in response to Ali's initial arrest in June:
The driver’s behavior is appalling and has no place in our society or on the Uber platform. We take reports of this nature very seriously and removed the driver’s access to the platform as soon as we were made aware of the incident. We have a dedicated team standing ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.
KOMO has reached out to Uber for a response to the charges being dropped.
Ali was released from custody in June after posting the $100,000 bail.