From the Florida Times Union Jacksonville

A driver for an app-based transportation service has been charged after a woman said she was groped by the man following her Lyft ride.

But Lyft officials say the driver who was arrested has had his ability to work for the company suspended immediately.

Ismael Esa, 24, was charged with battery after the woman said she was attacked in the back seat of his car after a ride home from her boyfriend’s on Jan. 5.

At the end of the ride, she said the driver got in the back and locked the doors before fondling her and asking for a kiss. She said she was able to get out and into her residence where she locked her door.

The woman, who is not being named because of the nature of the attack, said in a petition for protection from stalking the driver texted her admitting he lost control and had been drinking and had been “turned on.”

The woman later exchanged a few texts and said the driver tried to contact her at work and texted that he had been told to apologize in person by his company.

In an email response, Lyft spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna said safety of anyone using its service is a top priority.

“We are deeply concerned to hear about this incident,” the statement said. “This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and the driver’s access to Lyft has been permanently removed.”

The temporary injunction was granted Jan. 8 and a court hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

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