Cobb County police arrested an Austell man accused of performing a sex act in a Lyft and pulling a gun on a bystander near Riverside Parkway.
Edip Ovidio Juarez, 30, faces three felony charges and one misdemeanor after the Oct. 2 incident at Riverside Parkway and Troon Circle. The Marietta Daily Journal first reported the arrest on Monday, Oct. 12. The felony charges are aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He also faces a misdemeanor count of public indecency.
According to his arrest warrant, Juarez was riding in the backseat of a Lyft at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. He allegedly began performing a sex act. The female driver pulled over and ran from the vehicle to get help, according to WSB-TV. Juarez then fled the scene, the warrant states.
A nearby witness came to the driver's aid and chased Juarez on foot. Juarez allegedly pulled out a black and silver handgun and pointed it at the pursuer, according to the warrant. The witness stopped chasing him out of fear of being shot.
Cobb police arrested Juarez the following Thursday, nearly a week after the incident. He was booked at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and released the next day on a $22,000 bond, according to jail records.
The arrest warrant shows Juarez was previously convicted of armed robbery in Bibb County in December 2013. That prior conviction is the basis for the felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm charge.
No next court date has been announced. The case is pending in Cobb County courts. Cobb County police have not commented publicly on the case, and Lyft has not issued a public statement about the incident.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3911.
