Man Poses as Taxi Driver Assaults Boston Women

A man posing as a cab driver sexually assaulted women after giving them a ride home from a bar in two separate late-night incidents this month in Boston. In both the attacks, a man approached a female leaving a bar and offered them a ride. He then took them to another area, assaulted them and fled.

Right now police are unsure if the same man committed both crimes since an SUV was used in one attack and a white car was used in the other. Both assaults occurred around 1:30 a.m., the first on Sept. 17 and the second a week later. It's probably a good bet that the same man perpetrated both attacks since the somewhat unique MO is the same.

Police have warned that bar patrons should check taxi cabs for a hackney number before accepting a ride and that a picture identification card for the driver hould be visible inside the vehicle.

Okay, good enough advice. But how about some of these:

Don't get too drunk when you are out;
Ask for help from the bartender or doorman to get you reliable transportation;
Don't get into ANY unlicensed cab.

It's difficult to defend ourselves in the best of circumstances. When your capabilities are diminished through the liberal application of alcohol, you've put yourself into a decidedly more disadvantaged position.

Stay alert.