Victim unharmed, local taxi companies under investigation
“We are basing the information on what the female is providing investigators,” said Jennifer Timmons, Columbia Police Department spokeswoman wrote in an email response. “We are in contact with local cab companies as part of the investigation.”
The victim was picked up at the Five Points fountain and got into the front seat of the cab, according to a police report. She asked the cab driver to take her to Greek Village and the driver drove around for 10 to 15 minutes, exposed himself, grabbed her head and attempted to force her to perform sexual acts, according to the report. The report said she repeatedly told the driver “no.” When she refused, the driver dropped her off at her destination, according to the report.
The suspect was described as a skinny white male with a beard, according to a crime alert posted to Carolina Alert’s website.
The victim was not injured, according to the police report and alert.
The suspect’s vehicle was described as “possibly blue” with leather seats. Timmons could not confirm whether the suspect was driving for Carolina Cab, the Student Government-funded program that brings students home from Five Points; however, the service uses Checker Yellow Cabs and is free, and the student reported that she paid the suspect $8 cab fare.
Capt. Eric Grabski of USC Department of Law Enforcement and Safety would not comment on the incident because it was handled by Columbia police, but he encouraged students to take advantage of the transportation services available to them.
“We certainly recommend students utilize the free services the university offers whenever able, such as the evening shuttle, late night shuttle and APO,” Grabski said. “However, it’s not our place to compare safety of cabs to shuttles since they are regulated by the city.”