Miami Lyft Driver Accused of Raping Intoxicated Woman in Backseat

A Miami Lyft driver was arrested Tuesday for allegedly raping an intoxicated Texas tourist in the back seat of his car early Sunday morning.

Kevyn Rojas, 26, is charged with sexual battery of a helpless victim for his alleged rape of the woman, and his bond was set at $500,000, WSVN reports. Records show he previously faced charges of aggravated assault stemming from a 2020 incident, but those charges were dropped, WTJV notes.

The arrest report states that on Sunday at approximately 4:45 a.m. Rojas picked up the Texas woman from a bar in Wynwood, WPLG reports.

“Miami Beach police said the woman, who was out with a friend, told officers that she was intoxicated and threw up several times as she was leaving the bar, so she requested a Lyft through her mobile app to take her back to the Berkeley Shore Hotel in Miami Beach where she was staying,” according to the outlet.

After picking her up, she fell asleep in Rojas’s car, and once they reached the destination, a pinging noise from his phone awoke the victim, the arrest report states. She told police that she spotted the building, but Rojas continued to drive.

“According to his arrest report, Rojas parked his car, got into the backseat and raped the victim despite her repeated orders for him to stop,” according to WPLG. The report notes that she was too intoxicated to fend off Rojas, WTJV states.

After the alleged rape, Rojas dropped the victim off at her hotel, where she immediately phoned police, WPLG reports. The arrest report noted surveillance video was consistent with the victim’s account that Rojas first drove away from the building before going back to drop her off.

After setting his bond at $500,000, a judge ordered that he must turn over both his Colombian and U.S. passports to post bond, according to WSVN. Additionally, he was told to stay away from his accuser.

“You’re not to drive for Lyft. I’m sure they won’t have you anyway after these allegations,” the judge told Rojas.

Lyft issued a statement on the case Wednesday.

“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the behavior described is appalling,” a Lyft spokesperson said, according to WPLG. “The driver has been permanently removed from the Lyft community and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation in any way we can.”