Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in an attack on a taxi driver last weekend. Apparently the suspect had hailed the cab in the Lower East Side.
According to the NYPD, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Saturday, October 19. The yellow NYC cab driver, age 35, picked up a suspect at Delancey and Ludlow Streets and drove him to the Bronx. Once in the Bronx, the suspect said they were in the wrong place. The driver asked to be paid and said he would then take the suspect to the correct location.
The police said, "At this point, the suspect threw money for the fare at the victim, and punched him in the face, prior to exiting the taxi. Once outside the taxi, the suspect broke windows on the passenger side of the vehicle, came around to the driver's side, punched the victim in the face, and cut him on the left wrist and left back area with a box cutter, causing lacerations, before reaching into the taxi and taking back his fare money."
Then the suspect slashed the two front tires and fled eastbound on East 179th Street. The driver was treated for his injuries.
The police released video of the suspect and describe him as being in his 20s, about 5'9" and 180 pounds, with brown eyes and dark hair. He was wearing jeans and a blue Corona Extra sweatshirt.
Anyone with information in regards to this robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
