In an alleged attack the head of Metro called "sickening," a man who drove a Metro van for people with disabilities was arrested Tuesday on charges he committed a sex offense against a passenger.
Derrick Lamont Bowen, 44, is charged with assaulting an adult female MetroAccess passenger Tuesday morning in Laurel, Maryland, Metro Transit Police said Wednesday morning.
The woman has an intellectual disability, police said.
A witness saw a sex act occurring in the van and called 911, police said.
Bowen, who drives a MetroAccess van as an employee of the contractor Transdev Corporation, parked his van about 8 a.m. Tuesday in a church parking lot on the 12700 block of Claxton Drive, police said.
A witness told police Bowen walked to the rear of the van and engaged in a sex act with a passenger, police said. No other passengers were on board at the time.
Prince George's County police responded and arrested Bowen, a Southeast D.C. resident. The woman was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
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Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld called the alleged attack "sickening." He said that all MetroAccess drivers are vetted and expected to be professional, whether they work for Metro or contractors.
Bowen was charged with third-degree sex offense, a fourth-degree sexual contact and second-degree assault.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.
Information on Bowen's lawyer was not available immediately.
GPS data confirmed the van he was driving was stopped in the parking lot in Laurel at the time of the 911 call, police said.
Anyone with information that may help detectives is asked to call Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121.
