Criminal complaint: Jitney driver accused of assaulting, raping woman

PITTSBURGH — A jitney driver was arrested early Tuesday morning, accused of assaulting and raping a woman downtown.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim called 911 about 3 a.m. and said she was assaulted and raped at gunpoint by the driver.

The complaint said the victim, 47, told investigators that she and her sister went to the jitney station at Centre Avenue and Erin Street. They agreed to pay $8 for a ride to Colwell Street.

The victim got into the front passenger seat, but said her sister wouldn’t get in because she doesn’t trust jitney drivers. The complaint said the sister memorized the license plate before the car drove off.

According to the complaint, instead of taking the victim home, the driver, later identified as Eric Pace, stopped, pulled out a pistol and said, “I’m getting ready to kill you. You better not move or say anything.”

“He was like pointing it at me, scaring me with it. He was talking about he was going to kill me with it. I was so scared,” the victim said.

The victim told police she and Pace began fighting and he ripped off her clothing while attempting to rape her. She said she bit him and was able to distract him long enough to run from the car and hide in an alley.

The victim then ran to her sister’s house and they called 911.

The victim said, “I saw my sister and I told her I got raped. I said, I just got raped by a man, I said, going down the street.”

Officers stopped Pace, 33, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Devonshire Road and the victim positively identified him before she went to the hospital, the complaint said.

Authorities said Pace denied the accusations.

“I don't think I'm the first one, but I think I'm the first one that's speaking up,” the victim said.

WPXI