Uber driver accused of raping woman he picked up from O.C. bar; additional victims sought

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- (KTLA) -- A 52-year-old Uber driver accused of raping a woman after picking her up from a bar in Fullerton appeared before a judge on Thursday as investigators searched for other possible victims.

Omar Mahmous Mousa, of Anaheim, has been charged with one felony county each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by foreign object or force, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Mousa's arraignment was continued until April 1 and his bail was set at $100,000.

The charges stem from an incident that began when Mousa, driving for the ride-hailing service, picked up a 21-year-old woman and her friend from a motel in Anaheim on Oct. 24, 2015. After dropping them off at a bar, the defendant allegedly gave the victim his business card, telling them to call him directly instead of using the Uber app, the release stated.

In the early morning hours of the following day, Mousa picked up the two women after receiving a phone call from them. He drove the pair back to their motel room.

Mousa walked them back to their room, where the victim's friend “immediately passed out on the bed,” prosecutors said in the release.

The defendant allegedly placed the victim on the same bed and then, while she was intoxicated, pulled her pants down and orally copulated her. He allegedly digitally penetrated her before initiating sexual intercourse, the release stated.

The victim told Mousa “no” multiple times before managing to push him away, according to prosecutors.

He then left the motel room and drove away.

The woman reported the case later that day, spurring an investigation by the Anaheim Police Department.

Mousa was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on March 7, more than a month after the DA's office filed charges in the case. Authorities had tried to serve an arrest warrant on Jan. 25, but he was out of the country at the time.

Investigators believe there may be other victims out there, and are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Mousa to call Supervising DA Investigator Mark Gutierrez at 714-347-8794.

Mousa faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in state prison if convicted on the charges. He is being held on $100,000 bail.