It started off like any other Uber ride, with a vehicle pulling up to a Fremont apartment complex for a drive to nearby San Lorenzo.
But by the trip’s end, police say the driver had survived a terrifying ordeal, which involved his male passenger allegedly making unwanted sexual advances, kidnapping and robbing him at gunpoint, threatening him for additional regular cash payments, and the suspect warning him that he could get him deported if he came forward to police, before finally asking to be dropped off at the predetermined location.
Now, Alameda County prosecutors have charged 23-year-old Gabriel Torres with a litany of felonies, including kidnapping, robbery, attempted extortion, ATM robbery, and dissuading a witness. In Santa Rita Jail on a no-bail hold, Torres is set to enter a plea to the charges on Jan. 3, in a Dublin courthouse.
The charges stem from what police describe as a Dec. 1 Uber ride from hell. Authorities allege that Torres almost immediately asked his driver if he wanted to have sex, threatened to falsely report the man for rape, and started touching his genitals as the driver rebuffed his advances and attempted to complete the ride. Finally, Torres allegedly robbed the victim at gunpoint of $1,500 in cash, then forced him to drive to an ATM in San Leandro for more money.
Now in possession of the victim’s driver’s license, Torres threatened to come to his home and exact his violent revenge if he wasn’t given an additional $1,000 per month, according to police. Finally, Torres allegedly told the man he’d falsely report him for rape and get him deported if he tried to get the cops involved.
After dropping Torres off at his San Lorenzo home, the Uber driver contacted police, providing them with both the address and the cellphone number used in the ride, which led back to Torres, authorities said. Torres was arrested on Dec. 12 at his home without incident.
In addition to the robbery and extortion counts, Torres is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, due to a 2019 grand theft conviction out of Contra Costa County, according to court records.
