Routine Night Turns Dangerous For Pickering Cab Driver
Posted February 4, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A routine pick-up turned into an evening of horror for a Pickering taxi driver. The driver, working for Rapid Taxi, picked up four teenagers near Altona and Kingston Roads early Saturday morning. One sat in the front seat and three were in the back as they made their way to Chickadee Court near Sparrow Circle.
It was 3:30 in the morning when they arrived. That’s when the trouble started. One of the boys in the backseat allegedly placed the driver in a chokehold. Another backseat hooligan got out of the car and began hitting the driver with a bottle. The passenger in the front seat threatened the driver with a knife, holding it at his abdomen. The last boy covered up the light inside the cab, shielding their actions from view.
In the darkness, the four boys allegedly stole the driver’s cell phone, pager and cash – his night’s earnings. They then fled. That’s when the thieves showed the full extent of their smarts: cops and the K-9 unit were able to follow footprints in the snow to find the suspects.
Police from 19 Division (Pickering) arrived at a residence on Chickadee Street. The homeowner quickly invited police inside, then the police arrested their son. The three others were found in the basement, pretending to be asleep.
Police quickly found all the cab driver’s belongings and returned them to him. The knife used was found in a nearby backyard.
A 17-year-old Ajax male along with a 15-year-old and two 16-year-old Pickering teens, are facing a variety of charges including robbery, possession of dangerous weapons and forcible confinement.
