By Courtney Dentch and Michael Morton
The driver, identified by the State Federation of Taxi Drivers as Michael Goldberg, was shot once in the stomach at 2:39 a.m. Sunday at 253rd Street and 147th Drive in Rosedale, police said. The 36-year-old man was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital and had been upgraded to stable condition from critical by Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The news of Goldberg's shooting was a shock to his wife, Kate Bontoyan, who had thought he was in Kuwait with his parents, according to the Daily News. Goldberg, who was expected to survive, changed his name recently from Kulween Sahni, according to published reports. Neither Goldberg nor Bontoyan could be reached for comment.
Dispatchers at Goldberg's employer, Queens Village Private Car Service on Springfield Boulevard, declined to comment.
Andre Pounall, 17, of 148-77 Hook Creek Blvd.; Bentley Butler, 16, of 259-64 149th Ave.; Jarvie Hillaire, 15, of 149-84 255th St.; and Devawn Phillips, 15, of 131-46 224th St. were arrested Tuesday morning in connection with the attack, police said. The teens were charged with attempted murder and robbery, although it was unclear if they had made off with any loot.
Butler was also charged with weapons possession, police said.
The teens are being charged as adults, said a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney. If convicted, Hillaire and Phillips would be sentenced as juveniles, she said.
The teens were reportedly at a Sweet 16 party in Queens Village and called the car service asking to be taken to a Hollis address, police said. When the car arrived, they changed their destination to a Rosedale location, police said.
Goldberg's white Chevy Capri was equipped with a bullet-resistant partition indicating that either Goldberg had gotten out of the car or the shooter somehow got in the front, said Fernando Mateo, president of the Federation of Taxi Drivers. A criminal complaint from the Queens district attorney's office said Butler was in the front seat, and he argued with Goldberg before allegedly shooting him.
After years of fatalities, the city has not seen a cab driver killed in the past 12 months, Mateo said. Shootings during that period have dropped from about 2,500 a month to a few hundred a month, he said.
Mateo hopes the trend continues and that Goldberg survives, he said.
“All we can do is try to provide as much safety as we can.”
Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
