Lyft driver charged with sexually assaulting, biting passenger in Humboldt Park

A Palatine man has been charged with sexually assaulting a passenger he picked up while working as a Lyft driver in Chicago.

Mohayeddine Lamsahel, 33, is charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault and was ordered held without bail Friday after telling a Cook County judge he’s seeking to hire a defense attorney and declining the assistance of the public defender’s office.

Authorities said Lamsahel responded to a 28-year-old woman’s call for a ride around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 25 and drove her to an alley behind her Humboldt Park apartment building. Lamsahel crawled from the driver’s seat into the back seat and sexually assaulted her and bit her repeatedly on the face and neck, according to Chicago police records.

Lamsahel was arrested Wednesday at home and initially charged with criminal sexual assault. At the court hearing Friday, prosecutors said they were adding the kidnapping charge but did not provide additional information on the case.

During the hearing, Lamsahel said he needed to speak with his wife and wanted to hire a lawyer to represent him.

A Lyft spokeswoman said Friday that Lamsahel has been fired. She wouldn’t say how long he’d been working as a driver for the company.

“What the rider described is unacceptable, and we have banned this driver from the Lyft community,” she said. “We have been in touch with the rider and law enforcement and stand ready to assist as needed.”