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Lyft Driver Kidnapped, Zip-Tied And Raped Passenger, Prosecutors Say

By Joe Ward | July 24, 2017 5:22am | Updated on July 24, 2017 7:53am
 Angelo McCoy, 48, a Lyft driver, is accused of tying up and raping a passenger he picked up from River North, according to police.
Angelo McCoy, 48, a Lyft driver, is accused of tying up and raping a passenger he picked up from River North, according to police.
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Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A woman who called a Lyft after a night out in River North was bound, raped and held captive by her driver for two hours, prosecutors said.

Angelo McCoy, 48, of the Marquette Park neighborhood, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and a number of other felonies after he kidnapped the woman, tied her up, raped her and demanded her belongings, Assistant State's Attorney Melissa Howlett said at McCoy's bond hearing Friday.

The passenger, a 25 year-old woman, was out with friends in River North on July 7 when she decided she had too much to drink and called a Lyft, Howlett said. The woman hailed the Lyft around 11 p.m. near Hubbard and Clark streets and fell asleep shortly after getting into the ride.

She later woke up and realized the Lyft was not headed to her home. The woman asked to get out of the car, but McCoy did not allow her to and instead drove into an alley, Howlett said.

McCoy got into the backseat and grabbed the woman by her throat before tying her hands behind her back with zip ties, Howlett said. She screamed for help and told police she saw three people in the distance, but they failed to respond, prosecutors said.

McCoy raped the woman, then took her cellphone and driver's license and asked for her money, which the woman said she did not have, Howlett said. He drove the woman near Belmont and Ashland avenues, where she jumped out of the car, escaping about 1 a.m. after being held captive about two hours, Howlett said.

She ran to a car stopped directly behind her, and that car's driver took the woman to a nearby police station, Howlett said.

Officers took McCoy's photo and information from the Lyft app and arrested him Wednesday. He has been charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one county of armed robbery and one count of unlawful restraint.

He was being held in lieu of $900,000 bail is is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 9.

Scott Coriell, a Lyft spokesman, confirmed McCoy was a driver for the ride-hailing company but has been removed from the service.

"These allegations are sickening and horrifying," Coriell said in a statement. "As soon as we were made aware of the incident, we deactivated the driver's account and did everything we could to assist law enforcement. Our concern is with the victim and her well-being. We stand ready to assist law enforcement in their investigation."