Woman seriously sexually assaulted by Winnipeg cab driver

Winnipeg police are investigating after a woman was seriously sexually assaulted by a cab driver over the weekend.

Just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, officers were called to a home in Transcona where they found a woman had been seriously sexually assaulted.

The woman had gone out with friends to a bar on Elizabeth Road in Windsor Park, according to police.

When she was walking out of the club she tripped and a cab driver put her in the front seat of his car.

“She was not with her friends at that time. It looks like they had separated at closing time, maybe shortly after,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen. “She requested to be driven to a certain location. He did not. It appears that he drove her to one location within the city, then another, which would be somewhere in the Transcona area.”

The driver instead took her to Day Street near Thom Avenue East and seriously sexually assaulted her, according to police.

The woman was injured during the attack, police said.

After, the woman was driven to a home nearby.

Now, police are looking for a man who is in his 20s with a thin to average build. He’s described as being about five foot six inches tall with tall or high hair, which the victim described as "weird."

He was driving a silver Toyota Prius and could have a scratch he got during the attack, police said.

“We’re reaching out to anyone that may have seen this female that had fallen on the sidewalk outside the nightclub,” said Michalyshen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 204-986-6245 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Sex assaults in Winnipeg cabs 

The attack is not the first of its kind in Winnipeg.

Numerous reports of assaults on customers by cab drivers have made headlines in the city over the past several years, including two cases in 2010 where the cab driver's license was revoked.

When asked if officers were investigating other cab-related incidents reported earlier this year in connection to this incident, Michalyshen emphasized the importance of the service's relationship with cab drivers.

“First and foremost, we have a great relationship with the taxi cab companies here in the city. We have WPS members that are represented on the taxi cab board,” said Michalyshen. “Incidents like this do occur. Crimes do occur in cabs.”

Michalyshen also said the woman was vulnerable at the time of the attack.

“The suspect in this matter preyed upon her,” he said. “We’re going to make every effort to identify this effort. I can tell you the victim in this matter is incredibly distraught and upset.”

Winnipeg police are not revealing what cab company's vehicle was involved in this attack, and they will not say whether or not the cab driver involved in this incident was on duty or not.

“By no means are we painting a brush here to all taxi cab drivers because that would be completely inaccurate,” he said. “We’re talking about a specific incident here.”