Police have charged Shahid Shafiq, 38, with two counts of sexual assault. (Edmonton Police Service )
An Edmonton taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting two women since August 2014 was released on bail Friday afternoon.
Shahid Shafia, 38, was charged in the sexual assault of a woman last month while he was under investigation for a sexual assault last summer.
A woman in her 20s told police she hailed a Capital Taxi on Whyte Avenue and 103rd Street on May 24.
The driver took her to 87th Avenue and 116th Street, where she was assaulted, police said.
Police charged Shahid Shafiq, 38, the next day with sexual assault, committing an indecent act and unlawful confinement.
At the same time police charged Shafiq with a second count of sexual assault in relation to a separate attack on a 19-year-old woman in August 2014.
Gord Beatty, the manager of operations for Capital Taxi said the company learned about both charges yesterday and immediately suspended Shafiq. He said after a meeting with senior management at Capital Taxi today, the company has decided to keep him from driving until the court case is resolved.
He added that the company is taking the charges “very seriously.”
As part of Shafiq’s release he is not allowed to operate or ride in a cab.
A spokesperson with the city of Edmonton’s bylaw and licensing department said the city cancelled Shafiq’s taxi permit yesterday.
Police are also investigating a third possible sexual assault by a taxi driver, one that also reportedly occurred at the end of May after a woman was picked up on Whyte Avenue and 99th Street.
In a release issued Friday police said they are continuing to investigate and encourage any other complainants or witnesses to come forward.
