Shengfu Wu arrested by Aurora police, rideshare driver allegedly sexual assaulted minor passenger
Aurora police arrested a ride-share driver after a teenager claimed he allegedly sexually assaulted her in his car.
APD says on May 13, the 13-year-old girl used an older friend's Lyft account to call a ride home. The girl told police the driver pulled over during the ride and assaulted her inside his vehicle.
APD was able to quickly identify the driver.
The next day, officers arrested 38-year-old Shengfu Wu for sexual assault of a minor.
Police found that Wu was driving for both Lyft and Uber. Lyft's policy does not allow minors to ride alone. Uber just added an option for teens to ride solo.
APD recommends users under 18 don't ride alone.
"One of the tips is staying on the phone with your kid through the duration of the ride, making sure that you're in constant contact, making sure you're tracking the location," Longshore suggested.
Investigators impounded Wu's car and worked with the companies to shut down his accounts.
According to Lyft's policy on assault:
"We strongly encourage the prompt reporting of all incidents of potential sexual assault, misconduct, or harassment to Lyft. Lyft has established a process for users to submit complaints through the Lyft app or by phone and will conduct an impartial and timely investigation to reach reasonable conclusions based on the information collected."
Wu has since bonded out of jail. While he's not driving for rideshare now, police worry the young girl wasn't his first victim.
"His actions as a rideshare driver are pretty brazen. That's why investigators think that there may have been other inappropriate touching, inappropriate sexual contact that may have not been reported before," Longshore said.
The public is asked to contact the Aurora Police Department if anyone has additional information on this case at 303-739-1800.
