A 22-year-old female delivery driver for Domino’s Pizza was abducted, sexually assaulted, then robbed during a delivery in Northern California on Sunday.
Just after 11 in the morning, the Domino’s driver pulled up to deliver an order in a residential area of Antioch when she was reportedly stopped at gunpoint by a 17-year-old male. According to the Los Angeles Times , the young man forced her into the back of her own vehicle, then drove a short distance away where he allegedly proceeded to sexually assault her. He then drove her back to the place he abducted her and fled with some of her belongings.
Police say that the young man called in the order with the specific intent of committing a robbery, and that the assault was a “crime of opportunity” when he noticed the Domino’s driver was female.
Immediately after the incident, the Domino’s driver called the police. Officers arrested the suspect on the same day at his residence, and the woman positively identified him as her assaulter. Antioch Police Captain Tammany Brooks commended the woman’s response.
“She was very traumatized, she was very shaken, but [she’s] a very brave woman who did an excellent job of providing us information.”
Though he is only 17, the suspect will be tried as an adult. He is facing multiple felony charges, from making terroristic threats to kidnapping for the purpose of rape. He is currently being held at a juvenile detention center and will appear in court for his arraignment on Wednesday.
Domino’s employees have seen multiple run-ins with criminals in recent months. In one instance, a man robbed a Platteville, Wisconsin, driver at knifepoint. In December, 2014, several Domino’s employees were robbed at gunpoint by two individuals after they closed the store for the night.
Residents of Bluebell Circle, the cul-de-sac where the crime occurred, explained that anyone who lives there knows to keep an eye out, but visitors often don’t know that they need to be cautious. As resident Keith Henderson explained, he doesn’t let his children outside unless there’s someone there to supervise them.
“We live in a cul-de-sac, but still they don’t go outside unless we’re there [and] we’re watching.”
According to Business Insider , being a delivery driver is one of the 10 most deadliest jobs in America. Though the position is called “driver/sales and truck drivers” and encompasses more than just food delivery, pizza delivery specifically is still a dangerous job to take.
A Domino’s Pizza spokesman said that the company was working with the local Domino’s franchise to help the victim get any support she needs.
[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]