An Uber driver is suspected of raping a woman at an Anaheim motel after giving her a ride from a Fullerton bar, leading authorities to ask for the public’s help in locating other potential victims.

Omar Mahmoud Mousa, 52, of Anaheim is expected to appear in court on April 8 to face felony charges of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object in connection with the Oct. 25 incident, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The latest incident comes amid growing national concern over the safety of Uber and other app-based ride-sharing services.

The company in a statement on Thursday said: “Uber has a zero-tolerance policy for violent behavior, and our thoughts are with the victim of this atrocious crime. We immediately blocked this individual’s access to the Uber platform upon learning of this incident and actively assisted law enforcement in their investigation.”

Prosecutors said Mousa was working as a driver for Uber when he picked up a 21-year-old woman and her female friend at their Anaheim motel room and drove them to a bar in Fullerton.

Mousa gave the women his business card and told them to call him directly when they planned to leave, rather than going through Uber, authorities said.

Several hours later, one of the women called Mousa and he gave them a ride back to their motel, helping them into their room, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the victim’s friend immediately passed out, and Mousa then placed the victim on the same bed as her friend. The woman was intoxicated, prosecutors said, but told Mousa “no” multiple times as he raped her before she managed to push him away.

The woman contacted the Anaheim Police Department. Charges were filed against Mousa on Jan. 25, but authorities say he was out of the country.

An arrest warrant was issued, and Mousa was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport as he returned to the United States on March 7. He was taken to the Orange County Jail on Tuesday.

If convicted, Mousa faces up to 24 years in prison. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Orange County court records show no history of felony convictions for Mousa.

The rapidly growing Uber company, based in San Francisco, has faced scrutiny in the wake of recent high-profile incidents.

Last month, Uber driver Jason Dalton was charged with killing six people in a shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Mich. In October, Alejandro Done, a former Uber driver, was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman in Massachusetts.

The district attorneys in San Francisco and Los Angeles expanded a consumer-protection lawsuit against Uber last year, claiming the ride-sharing company failed to uncover the criminal records of 25 California drivers, including several registered sex offenders and a convicted murderer. The case is pending.

Uber drivers have been targets as well.

In Newport Beach last year, Uber made headlines when Benjamin Golden, a 32-year-old former executive for Taco Bell, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery on allegations of slapping and hitting his Uber driver, Edward Caban, in an incident that was caught on video.

Authorities are asking anyone who might be a victim of Mousa to contact Senior District Attorney Investigator Mark Gutierrez at 714-347-8794.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com