Lyft driver, 53, is charged with kidnapping and raping a woman he picked up at a bar in St. Louis

  • A driver for a the ride-hailing company Lyft has been charged with raping an intoxicated woman after picking her up in downtown St. Louis
  • Larry Donnell Ward, 53, was charged with first-degree rape and kidnapping 
  • He picked up the woman at a bar and allegedly assaulted her in the back seat  
  • Lyft has described the allegations as 'appalling' and is cooperating with a probe 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and LEAH MCDONALD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

A driver for a the ride-hailing company Lyft has been charged with kidnapping and raping an intoxicated woman after picking her up in downtown St. Louis.

Larry Donnell Ward, 53, of St. Peters, was charged Thursday with first-degree rape and kidnapping.

According to the probable cause statement, Ward was working as a Lyft driver on June 22 when he picked up a woman who ordered a ride share at 1000 Clark Avenue, the address for the Tin Roof bar, according to KSDK.

A driver for a the ride-hailing company Lyft has been charged with raping an intoxicated woman after picking her up in downtown St. Louis. He had picked her up from Tin Roof bar

A driver for a the ride-hailing company Lyft has been charged with raping an intoxicated woman after picking her up in downtown St. Louis. He had picked her up from Tin Roof bar 

Ward, who no longer works for Lyft, allegedly sexually assaulted the woman after turning off his ride-sharing location software and deviating from the route to the woman's requested destination. 

The assault took place in the backseat while she was intoxicated, according to the probable cause statement.

A rape kit was tested and the results matched Ward's DNA, according to the statement.

It wasn't immediately clear why it took several months to file the charge or if Ward was still working as a Lyft driver during that period. There was no booking photo of him available because he was not in custody on Thursday. 

Lyft described the allegations against the driver as 'appalling' in a statement. The company said it was cooperating with the investigation and has reached out to the rider to offer support.

Lyft has described the allegations as 'appalling' and is cooperating with an investigation into the incident

Lyft has described the allegations as 'appalling' and is cooperating with an investigation into the incident 

No attorney is listed for Ward in online court records. His bond is set at $100,000 cash, although he isn't yet in custody.

In a statement Lyft told KSDK: 'Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the behavior described is appalling. 

'We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft community and reached out to the rider to offer our support. We have been in contact with law enforcement and will continue to help in every way we can.'

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