State dismisses charges against Uber driver accused of kidnapping and rape

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. – The state has dismissed charges against a rideshare driver accused of kidnapping and raping a woman in June in Thurston County.

Ahmed Hassan Ali was charged in mid-June with second-degree rape and kidnapping of an intoxicated woman. The charges against Ali were dropped on September 30.

“After reviewing all of the evidence in this case, including the dash camera, the state has concluded that it is unable to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt,” the state said.

In June, Ali was arrested after witnesses told Thurston County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) officers that they found Ali's vehicle parked near the Nisqually River with a naked woman in the back seat as he jumped into the driver's seat .

Probable cause documents state that in the early morning hours of June 15, officers responded to reports of shots fired and a black sedan driving away from the scene. When the sedan was stopped, officers discovered that the driver, identified as Ali, was bleeding profusely from the head and had “numerous bumps” on the front and sides of his head.

Ali allegedly told police she was dropping off a woman when four men attacked him, documents say. The men reportedly stole his phone and fled the area.

Documents said another officer was called to a location on Sixth Avenue Southeast where they found two men, one of whom said his girlfriend had lost her phone. The Find My iPhone app showed them that the device was in that location.

Later, a woman who knew the victim told officers they were at a bar when she ordered an Uber ride home for the victim. The rest of the group went to another bar and when the woman who spoke with TCSO came home, she discovered the victim was not there.

The victim's father checked her location and discovered she was near an address on Sixth Avenue Southeast. The woman left with the father and two other people.

She told officers when they arrived they saw the black sedan parked near the Nisqually River. When the woman opened the back door, she found the victim naked and the driver jumping from the back to the front and appearing to pull up his pants, the documents say.

The group reportedly attacked the driver while trying to get him away from the victim, which is why the driver was injured when contacted by the deputy.

Shots were fired during the altercation, but the driver was not hit, TCSO said. The driver was arrested.

A review of Uber app data revealed that the victim was marked as being dropped off at an address that was not her residence. Data from the Life 360 ​​app on the victim's phone showed the vehicle continued past the “drop off point” and eventually stopped at the location where she was found in the driver's back seat.

An Uber spokesperson previously sent KING 5 a statement in response to the investigation.

“The driver’s behavior is appalling and has no place in our society or on the Uber platform,” the spokesperson said. “We take reports of this type very seriously and immediately blocked the driver’s access to the platform when we became aware of the incident.” We have a dedicated team ready to assist law enforcement with their investigations.”