APD searching for sex assault suspect who posed as ride share driver at The Domain

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Police are seeking the public's help identifying and locating a sexual assault suspect who posed as a ride share driver at The Domain in March.

Police say it happened on Sunday, March 19 around 1 a.m.

According to police, a woman at The Domain wanted to meet her friends in downtown Austin, so she hailed a ride using a ride share app. Police say the woman got into a white van she believed to be her ride, but soon after driving off, she received a text from the actual ride share driver who was waiting at the requested location to pick her up.

The woman told police she continued riding with the suspect, who eventually pulled over somewhere along MoPac before sexually assaulting her in the back of the van.

KrimeLabb.com, an Austin crime statistics website, measures 12 sexual assaults/rapes have been reported in the Domain area since 2012 -- two so far this year and two all of last year.

The site shows 15 aggravated assaults in the Domain area so far this year. In 2016, there were 39 reports of aggravated assaults in the same setting. This year, the area is on pace to reach 45.

The suspect is described as a black male, around 30-40 years old, around 5’10” and 180 lbs. Police say he has an athletic build, bald head and brown eyes.

Police say the vehicle is white, older model van with well-maintained tan interior

If you have information on this suspect, please contact the APD Sex Crimes Unit at (512) 974-5230.