Police: Uber driver sexually assaulted sleeping passenger

Police have arrested an Uber driver they say sexually assaulted a female passenger after she fell asleep during a ride in Los Angeles.

Police Capt. William Hayes says Monday that Alaric Spence picked up the victim in downtown on Friday.

Hayes says the woman, who was intoxicated, fell asleep during the ride and instead of taking her to her destination, Spence drove to a motel.

He says Spence rented a room and carried the unconscious woman inside before sexually assaulting her.

The woman called police when she woke up.

Police say Spence had five prior felony convictions in California for narcotics-related crimes.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Spence had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

Uber says it is cooperating with the investigation and has permanently banned Spence.