Lyft driver charged after allegedly performing sex act in front of teen during ride

A Lyft driver groped an Illinois teen, then masturbated in front of her during a ride to his friend's house in Portage, according to charging documents.

Isaiah Muhammad, 51, of Olympia Fields, Illinois and formerly Los Angeles, is not in custody. He is ordered held on a $65,000 cash bond, or $6,500.

He was charged Wednesday with attempted rape, a level 3 felony; two counts of sexual battery and one count of performance before a minor injurious to minors, all level 6 felonies; and one count of public indecency, a class A misdemeanor.

The victim told Lake Station cops that the driver — later identified as Muhammad — showed up in Illinois to pick her up around 1:30 p.m. on July 1, 2023. He had some belongings in the backseat and he said to get into the front seat. .

Muhammad said she was “beautiful” and had “nice legs,” the victim told police.

On Interstate 80/94, he hit her thigh. She was “uncomfortable” and started messaging her boyfriend. Then, Muhammad began masturbating in front of her, stopped, then continued driving, according to court records.

She told him to “put it away,” records show.

In Lake Station, he stopped on Ripley Street to a municipal garage in the 3700 block of Fairview Ave. He pulled out his penis again and grabbed her arm to “caress” it as he tried to kiss her. She told him no. He put his hands under her clothes and caressed her, still trying to kiss her, records show.

She went out and ran while Mahomet chased her.

Just then her boyfriend and his friend arrived. They tried unsuccessfully to get Muhammad out of the car. The friend punched Muhammad in the face before he fled.

The victim and her boyfriend identified Muhammad in a photo lineup through a photo of a Lyft employee. The friend did not do so, according to the charges.

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