A former Uber driver, accused of raping a passenger in February, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting five other victims, one who is believed to have been only 13 years old at the time of the attack, El Cajon Police said.
John David Sanchez, 52, was arrested March 29 on suspicion of raping an intoxicated person. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and posted bail.
Now, Sanchez faces five new charges of rape of an unconscious person and other felony sexual assault charges for incidents that occurred between 2011 and 2014 in the City of San Diego, El Cajon Police said Wednesday.
The initial victim was a woman who used the ride hailing app Uber on February 25 from a bar in North Park. The woman got into a silver 2012 Scion XB at approximately 2 a.m.
Court documents say the woman, who was too intoxicated to drive home to El Cajon, began to vomit in the car. The driver pulled over and got close to the woman, stroking her leg, court documents alleged.
About a block from the final destination, the woman began to vomit again. At this point, court records said the woman “opened the door and began dry heaving … the driver again moved to the backseat and again tried consoling her.” Police allege the driver raped the woman, telling her: “you want this.”
The victim reported the attack to police. She told them her driver’s name was John and he drove a Scion. San Diego Police obtained Uber records and identified the driver as John Sanchez, according to court documents.
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Sanchez has no criminal record, police said. He was terminated from his employment with Uber immediately after his arrest.
The new charges aren’t connected to the Uber app, police said.
Sanchez surrendered to El Cajon Police detectives at the San Diego County Jail at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Anyone with information can call Detective Mansour with El Cajon Police Department at (619) 441-5513 or tmansour@cityofelcajon.us. Individuals with information on this crime who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (888) 580-8477.
