A 24-year-old man has been arrested in Akron for allegedly raping multiple women since 2020.
According to police, the suspect, Mohamed Reeda, lured women into his car under false pretenses, took them to isolated places and allegedly sexually assaulted them. In two of the cases, Reeda allegedly brandished a knife.
Police said Reeda targeted women who were out walking by themselves. Police are concerned there may be more victims afraid to come forward.
Captain Chris Brewer said Reeda picked up people in the evening or early morning hours by coaxing them into his car and offering them a ride.
"As he starts to give them a ride, he goes in a different direction and sexually assaults them," Brewer said.
Reeda was arrested on March 30 and has been charged with three counts of rape, two counts of abduction and one count of attempted rape. Additional charges may be forthcoming.
According to police, there have been at least eight victims between November 2020 and March 2023. Authorities said there could be additional victims. The charges stem from four of those cases. The other cases are pending further investigation.
Police said they matched Reeda to one case through DNA. In the other cases, authorities had a general description of an offender. One woman was able to get away from her attacker and flagged down a nearby officer.
Most cases involved the same locations: south of Exchange Street between Brown and Arlington Streets, Firestone Park and the East Akron area.
Police initially said that Reeda is a ride-share driver, but did not say which service he drove for, or whether he was acting as a ride-share driver when he allegedly committed the rapes.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Lyft spokesperson responded to a News 5 request for comment, stating: “These allegations are reprehensible, and our hearts go out to the victims and everyone impacted. We removed the driver’s access to the Lyft platform as soon as this was brought to our attention, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
When News 5 asked Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina Counties CEO Teresa Stafford about how someone could be capable of doing something like Reeda is accused of, she replied, "Unfortunately, it's the norm."
"One of the things we learned through the Untested Sexual Assault Kit Initiative that took place across the country is that a lot of times these rapists are serial offenders," Stafford said. "They are going to offend time and time again until they're held accountable."
Stafford said the women who went to the police were instrumental in helping arrest Reeda.
"Just the bravery of those survivors who did come forward to disclose their victimization and work with law enforcement so they can help identify this perpetrator and get him off the streets in the community," she said.
Reeda's bond has been set at $1 million.
“Removing this serial predator from our community has clearly made Akron a safer place. The victims in this case experienced trauma that most will not be able to understand, and nothing can be done to undo the harms this suspect caused; however, I hope this arrest is the first step leading to bringing the suspect to justice and assist the victims in their journey towards healing,” said Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett.
Anyone who may have had a similar encounter with Reeda is asked to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or the Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina Counties at 330-434-7273.
