Cabbie shot to death

Cathy Scott

Monday, Dec. 22, 1997 | 10:08 a.m.

A 57-year-old North Las Vegas Cab Co. driver, dispatched to pick up a fare in West Las Vegas, was shot to death late Sunday.

The driver answered a call to go to the 900 block of West Bartlett Avenue. He picked up the fare and took the person to the 1600 block of Cadillac Lane, about nine blocks away, where he was shot, Metro Police homicide Sgt. Bill Keeton said.

Witnesses, including a neighbor who called 911, told detectives that they saw the cab driver's van coast and come to a stop about 10:30 p.m. after it rolled onto a sidewalk and hit a garbage can, police said.

"We believe the cab was called and dispatched over there," Keeton said.

The sliding door to the cabbie's van was wide open, leading investigators to believe someone had been inside the van when the driver was shot, he said.

"At first paramedics thought he had had a heart attack," Keeton said. "No blood was visible. He was slumped over."

But a hip wound, and possibly an abdomen injury, were found.

The cabbie was taken to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:45 p.m. His name was not released pending notification of his family.

The area where it occurred, near Owens Avenue and D Street, "has been notorious over the years for shootings and murders," Keeton said. "Power company and delivery people have had trouble over there for years."

A cab company supervisor said today that there is no area of town where cabbies won't respond, even if it's a known trouble spot.

Robbery may have been a motive, Keeton said.

"Robbery certainly could be the motive," he said. "That usually is the motive on assaults on cab drivers."

Robbery has been the motive in other shootings of cab drivers in recent years, but in other areas of town, Keeton said.

"Cab drivers have been shot at and hit, but they survived," he said.

In 1994, cab driver Alexandre Popov's decomposed body was discovered in a cardboard box stuffed in the rear compartment of a hatchback car parked at Sam's Town hotel-casino. His empty wallet was found in the front of the car. Heidi Hartkopf, a topless dancer, pleaded guilty a year later to the murder and robbery.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information about Sunday's murder. Police are asking anyone with information to call homicide at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

SUN REPORTER Karen Zekan contributed to this story.

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