Man posing as Uber driver kidnaps and rapes woman

Los Angeles police have arrested a man they say
posed as an Uber driver and picked up a woman
waiting for a ride in the Westlake district
area into his car. According to Police Chief
Charlie Beck, 39 year old Dartanyun Smith
pretended to be an Uber driver and pulled up to
a woman waiting for an Uber driver. She said
Yes and got into his car. However, as soon as
she got in, he drove about two blocks, he
choked her unconscious several times and raped
her several times as well.
Fortunately for her, she fought Smith each time
she was conscious, she screamed and cried
which alerted neighbours in the area who
thankfully called the Police.
Responding officers heard her cries coming
from a dark-colored SUV, in which they said they
saw a male suspect assaulting a woman in the
back seat.
“The victim was valiantly fighting the
suspect,” police said in a statement. “The
officers tried to open the doors of the
suspect’s vehicle, but they were locked.
Officers used their batons to break the
vehicle’s side windows in an attempt to
render aid to the victim.”
Police said the man jumped into the
driver’s seat, started the engine and drove
towards one of the Police officers. The officer
shot at Smith but missed.
“The suspect vehicle continued to flee
from the officers,” police said in their
statement. “The officers pursued the
vehicle but lost sight of it.”
Beck told reporters that officers found the
woman standing in the street after she had
been pushed out of the vehicle by Smith.
“We believed that we had a predator loose
on the streets of Los Angeles,” Beck said.
“We didn’t want the second crime in
a series to occur.”
Police Chief Charlie Beck said on Monday
that Smith was arrested over the weekend after
he was tied to the “horrific” crime through DNA
evidence collected from the victim, according to
the Los Angeles Times.
Smith was arrested at Saturday morning,
according to police booking records. He is being
held on $1 million bail.