Uber driver cleared in alleged rape of Seattle tourist

Seattle police now say a popular rideshare service has no connection to the alleged rape of a woman visiting Seattle over the weekend.

The Texas woman reported to police that she hired Uber to drive her from the Edgewater Hotel to her fiancés home on Capitol Hill early Sunday morning.

According to a Seattle police report, the woman claimed the driver pulled into an unknown park, forced her out of the vehicle, and then sexually assaulted her.

“She was afraid the suspect was going to kill her if she did not do what he said,” according to the report.

The suspect dropped the woman off in the 300 block of 15th Avenue East, where she knocked on a nearby door for help.

“When we arrived (the victim) was sitting on the front porch crying and extremely upset,” the report stated. “She had abrasions to both knees and her blouse looked as if it had been ripped open.”

The woman told police that the suspect was driving a red SUV and provided a digital receipt sent to her by Uber.

Seattle police detectives, however, now state that the alleged crime has no connection to Uber. According to a department spokesperson, the woman had taken an Uber earlier in the day, but was not in an Uber at the time she said she was attacked.

The investigation is ongoing.

In a statement, Uber said it is committed to assisting with the investigation in any way it can.

“Rider safety is Uber’s #1 priority. We take reports like this seriously and are treating the matter with the utmost urgency and care. We stand ready to assist authorities in any investigation, but have not yet been contacted directly with regard to an incident in Seattle.”

Uber said none of its drivers took a passenger from the Edgewater hotel to Capitol Hill Sunday morning.