Police were investigating the alleged rape of a USC student outside of her home by a Lyft driver. Christian Cazares reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m.
USC issued a warning to students Wednesday after a student reported a sexual assault by a rideshare driver who dropped her off at her apartment near the Exposition Park campus.
The attack occurred around 3 a.m. Wednesday after the student took a ride home from a West Hollywood club to her apartment near the University Park Campus, according to the USC Department of Public Safety. The driver attacked her in his car when they arrived, according to a press release from the department.
Detailed descriptions of the driver and car were not immediately available.
"I hope she is able to get the help that she needs and knows it wasn’t her fault," said Mukundi Ramaite, a USC student in reaction to the news.
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The USC Department of Public Safety asked anyone with information about the assault to call 213-740-6000 for the University Park Campus, 323-442-1000 for the Health Sciences Campus or 213-485-6571 for the LAPD Southwest Division.
NBCLA has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for more information. The USC Public Safety Department referred a request for comment to the LAPD.
The USC Department of Public Safety alert said the student reported the ride was from a Lyft driver. Lyft provided the following statement to NBCLA.
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"Our thoughts are with the victim and this has no place in society," a Lyft spokesperson said. "Based on the information available at this time, we have not identified a report or ride matching the description and can’t confirm it involved the Lyft platform. We have reached out to law enforcement and stand ready to assist with their investigation."
This year's USC annual crime report shows certain crimes are up, among them 51 reported rape cases last year compared to 39 in 2021.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
