Prosecutors: Rideshare driver assaulted woman he picked up from bar

A Milwaukee ride-share driver is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he picked up from a bar and drove to a Franklin motel in December.

FRANKLIN, Wis. - A Milwaukee rideshare driver is accused of sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman after picking her up from a bar on Dec. 19.

According to a criminal complaint, the victim took a rideshare to a bar to meet up with friends on the evening of Dec. 18, stopping at multiple bars before opting to call for a ride and head home after consuming several drinks.

Omar Jamal

Prosecutors say Omar Jamal, 43, was driving a vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers and began touching the victim inappropriately without her consent as he drove. The victim indicated she was "unable to tell the driver no" and she "felt like she was stuck behind glass, screaming and yelling."

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After stopping at a gas station, they arrived at a motel in Franklin early on Dec. 19. The victim told investigators she didn't know why she was there, but the driver asked for her ID and credit card "to get her a bed for the night."

The victim said her next memory was being in the shower with the driver -- waking up the next morning in the motel room, at which point the victim said the driver sexually assaulted her before driving her home, the complaint said.

Prosecutors say surveillance video and identification of the vehicle involved helped investigators identify the driver as Jamal.

Plaza Motel in Franklin

Jamal admitted he picked up the victim after spotting her on the street and asking her if she needed a ride -- and had sex with her that day, the complaint says. He claimed the victim provided the address for the motel, and added she put the address into his phone herself. He said she offered to pay for the room and claimed the sex was consensual.

The complaint said Jamal told investigators he was using the Lyft app to find rides but wasn't driving a Lyft-approved vehicle at the time, the complaint says. The victim reviewed her Uber records and couldn't find record of this ride, and said she hadn't used Lyft since October 2020.

Jamal faces one count of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim. Cash bond was set at $20,000 as he made his initial court appearance Wednesday, Jan. 13.

Plaza Motel in Franklin

In the meantime, a Lyft spokeswoman issued this statement to FOX6 News:

"Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the incident described is unacceptable. We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft community and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation."