String of cab holdups grows

Keith Paul

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2001 | 10:37 a.m.

Two men pulled off three taxicab robberies in 24 hours, continuing the monthlong spree of cabdriver holdups in Las Vegas.

The pair robbed the first cabdriver about 5:30 a.m. Monday, pulled off one holdup Monday about 11 p.m. and then a third about 5:35 a.m. Tuesday.

In each case they got into a cab and at some point during the ride, pulled a knife on the driver, said Lt. John Alamshaw of Metro Police's robbery unit. They would then rob the driver, let the driver out and steal the cab.

In two of the cases the taxis were later found, Alamshaw said.

Since Dec. 30 there have been 18 cabdriver robberies, with two separate holdup men believed to be responsible for five heists each.

The latest holdups are believed to have been committed by others.

A search of robbery statistics showed there was an average of four cabdriver robberies a month last year, Alamshaw said.

Detective got a break in the recent string of three robberies when the two suspects were captured on surveillance video while walking through the Sahara hotel-casino where they got into a cab outside about 5:30 a.m. Monday and later robbed the driver, Alamshaw said.

The pair also are accused of catching a cab about 11 p.m. Monday at a convenience store in the 5000 block of East Tropicana Avenue and robbing the driver. The third robbery of the spree occurred about 5:35 a.m. Tuesday after the pair hailed a cab at the bus station downtown.

Metro detectives are sharing suspect information with the Taxicab Authority, a state regulatory agency, which is distributing the information to all the cab companies.

In most of the other robberies, the driver picked up a passenger at a Strip or downtown hotel-casino or at McCarran International Airport. At some point during the trip the robber pulled a weapon, demanded money and once getting the cash fled the stopped cab.

In the last three robberies, the suspect took the cab and later abandoned it.