Glenroy Cornelius Tannis, a Lyft driver in Broward County, was arrested May 23 for allegedly sexually assaulting an unconscious woman during a ride in his SUV back in January. Tannis faces two charges of sexual battery on a helpless victim. On June 2, 2022, Tannis, 42, was released from the Broward County Jail after posting bonds totaling $175,000. Part of his release conditions was that he is no longer permitted to work for any ride-share service.
According to media reports, Tannis picked up a woman who requested a Lyft ride on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, around 3 am on January 12, 2022. The victim, who was in town from Wisconsin, was out with friends that evening and wanted to go back the AirBnB apartment in Pompano Beach that she had rented. The arrest report also states that the victim’s friend made sure she got in the matched silver 2016 Ford Explorer that appears in the Lyft app before helping her in. The report says that the woman fell asleep in the back seat of the SUV during the ride. An hour later, she woke up groggy and half undressed with Tannis allegedly on top of her and forcing her to perform a sex act.
The vicitm realized she was near her AirBnB destination, got out of the vehicle, and ran to the apartment. She called a friend, cried, and told them what had happened. When she arrived home to Milwaukee, she told her local police what happened in Florida and they directed her to a sexual assault treatment center to collect DNA evidence. She also told the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and detectives later identified Tannis and the SUV. The vicitm flew back to South Florida in March to help with the investigation and identified Tannis from the photographs the police presented to her. The DNA sample proved to be a match with Tannis and he was arrested about a month later.
Tannis has been permanently barred from any ride share service, including Lyft and Uber. Lyft offered no comment. A recent report released by Lyft revealed that the ridesharing platform received 4,158 reports of sexual assault between 2017 and 2019. During those three years, the company said there were 360 reports of rape and ten deaths by physical abuse.
Lyft customers have an expectation of proper vetting of their drivers for qualifications, as well as for safety. Many rideshare passengers are critical that Lyft has not employed technology to deter sexual misconduct and ensure the safety of their passengers. It is unacceptable that there are employees who take advantage of trusting riders and break the law.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual assault claims on behalf of clients throughout the country against ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery during an Uber or Lyft ride, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.
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