Local

Uber driver says she was sexually assaulted by man she thought was stranded

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A local Uber driver is recovering after she said a passenger sexually assaulted her during a ride to downtown Atlanta earlier this month. Now, investigators are searching for the person responsible.

Deon Long, a mother of three, told Channel 2's Michael Seiden she had just finished dropping off a passenger in East Point when she decided to help out a man who appeared to be stranded.

The only problem: Long said the man told her the Uber app on his phone was not working.

“I was, like, ‘I'll take you and and I'll take you to the ATM to get money out,’” Long said.

Going against company policy, which prohibits drivers from charging passengers when they're not on the clock, Long started driving.

But as soon as Long started to drive, she said the man began making unwanted sexual advances toward her.

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“He was sitting in the backseat and moved to the middle and reached over and started touching me in my chest area,” Long said. “He was, like, 'I'll give you $50 if you just let me do this and that' and I was telling him ‘No!’ I was trying to move his hand away.”

Long said she tried her best to remain calm until she made it to Pryor and Decatur streets, where she flagged down a Georgia State University police officer.

“When I pulled up to this intersection right here, (he) put his private parts back in his pants and he hopped out the car and ran down that way and cut the corner," Long said.

Police are searching for the suspect.

"I had a feeling that this might not be right, so I would say just listen to your instincts,” Long said.

The victim told Seiden she hasn't driven for Uber since the May 3 incident.

Seiden contacted police, who confirmed the suspect's identity. However, officers asked Channel 2 Action News not to release his name because of the ongoing investigation.