Taxi drivers targeted in armed robberies
Over the past week, two taxi cab drivers have been the victims of armed robberies in Indio.
One driver was robbed at gunpoint on Feb. 3 and the other by knife point early Thursday morning.
The most recent robbery happened at around 3:30 a.m when a cab driver working for Yellow Cab of the Desert was robbed at knife point in the neighborhood near the intersection Miles Avenue and Clinton Street.
“I picked him up and we went down the street and did a U-turn because he said he left his phone at the house then I stopped,” said the taxi driver who asked not to be identified since the suspect is still at large.
“He put a knife to my throat and had it at my chest, and I thought he was joking and I turned around and kind of laughed at him,” the taxi driver said.
Once the reality of the situation set in the laughing stopped.
“I hit the panic button on my cab and I gave him my cash and and he demanded my phone as well,” the driver said. The panic button alerted Yellow Cab dispatch that the driver was in trouble and they called the Indio Police Department.
On Feb. 3 a different cab driver working for Yellow Cab of the Desert was robbed at gunpoint on Crest Avenue which is between the I-10 and Avenue 44 near Jackson Street.
In both occurrences, the suspect called dispatch asking for a ride to a local casino.
“It makes me want to stay away from Indio but we want to service our customers so staying away from Indio is not going to accomplish that,” said the driver.
The cab company is telling its drivers to be on high alert and to drive away from any situation the driver feels in unsafe or suspicious.
Being a cab driver is statically one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
In 2003, Yellow Cab driver Carlos Cardona was shot to death in Indio after a robbery by Fabian Perez and Christopher Jasso who have been found guilty of the crime.
At this point the Indio Police Department does not have an accurate description for a possible suspect or suspects. The cab drivers at Yellow Cab do believe the robberies were done by the same man.
Sgt. Dan Marshall with the Indio Police Department says this case is an extremely high priority and detectives are working the case.
People with any information are asked to call Valley Crime Stoppers at (760) 341-STOP. Tips can be anonymous and you could be eligible for a reward.
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