Livery Cab Bandits Struck In R’wood, E. Elm.
Two men who held up a livery cab driver at gunpoint in Ridgewood last month may be responsible for a series of similar robberies in East Elmhurst, police announced last Thursday, Jan. 30.
Law enforcement agents released a picture of one of the suspects observed using a credit card stolen from one of his victims shortly after one of the crimes.
The Ridgewood caper occurred at about 12:15 a.m. on Jan. 8 on Stephen Street between Cypress and Seneca avenues, according to police.
Reportedly, the taxi driver-a 43- year-old man-was called to the location to pick up a fare. When he arrived, authorities said, a male suspect met the driver and asked him to open the trunk.
Police stated a second male perpetrator then approached the driver, brandished a firearm and demanded property. Reportedly, the driver did not comply with the request, and the gunman subsequently struck him in the face.
Police said the crooks fled from the scene in an unknown direction.
The robbery was reported to the 104th Precinct. The taxi driver suffered minor injuries.
Upon further investigation, police linked the suspects involved in the Ridgewood stickup to three other livery cab holdups at the same East Elmhurst location dating back to last October.
Each of those capers, authorities said, took place along Ericsson Street between 27th and 29th avenues.
In the first robbery-which occurred at about 12:43 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2013-one of the suspects sat in the rear of the taxi while the second perpetrator approached the 49-yearold male driver, displayed a weapon and removed unidentified property, according to law enforcement sources.
The two other East Elmhurst stickups occurred on Jan. 21 at about 5:28 a.m. and on Jan. 24 at about 6:10 a.m. In these incidents, police said, the first suspect asked the driver to open the trunk of the cab; seconds later, the armed perpetrator confronted the victim and demanded property.
The victims of both capers were 43-year-old men, authorities noted. While the crooks succeeded in taking property during the Jan. 21 robbery, they reportedly walked away emptyhanded after the Jan. 24 incident.
All of the East Elmhurst holdups were reported to the 115th Precinct.
The NYPD Queens Robbery Squad is investigating the robbery pattern, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the stickups that could prove helpful is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800- 577-TIPS; by text message to 274637 (enter information, then the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
All calls and messages will be kept confidential.
