Kidnapping linked to string of robberies; ex-cabbie sought

Jen Lawson

Monday, Aug. 11, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

A former cabdriver wanted in connection with a string of armed robberies over the past three days allegedly kidnapped a man Sunday afternoon, police said.

Lt. Ted Snodgrass of Metro Police's robbery unit said Wagnaw "Kevin" Asagre Getahun, 38, may be driving a white 2001 Mitsubishi Diamante that was stolen at gunpoint Sunday from a man living near Rancho Drive and Craig Road. The car has a Nevada license plate of 779MMK.

Investigators from the Taxicab Authority, Metro and Henderson police are actively searching for Getahun, and North Las Vegas Police have been notified to watch for him. Cabdrivers have also been helping.

"We thought we had a sighting of him this morning," Snodgrass said, but the tip didn't pan out.

Getahun, who worked as a cabdriver for about five years before getting fired last month, "knows the city like the back of his hand," and finding him is proving difficult for authorities, Snodgrass said.

"He's all over town -- downtown, in Henderson, in the northwest," Snodgrass said. "He's familiar with all the (cabdrivers') devices. He knows all their tricks," including emergency alerts cabdrivers use.

The robbery spree began about 2:45 a.m. Friday, when an adult entertainment establishment in the 3100 block of Industrial Road was robbed by a man using a semiautomatic handgun, police said.

The owner recognized the robber as a cabdriver whom he had an argument with in the past, Yvette Moore, Taxicab Authority administrator, said.

Another three armed robberies were committed in Las Vegas and Henderson over the next few hours, including a carjacking of a cabdriver and a robbery of an unsuspecting passenger who got into the cab the suspect stole.

About 4:20 a.m. Sunday, a driver for Checker cab told police a man flagged him down at Palace Station, 2411 W. Sahara Ave. When the driver reached Russell Road and Valley View Drive, the suspect pulled out a gun, robbed the driver of his money and made him get out of the cab, Moore said. The cab was found a few hours later in the 4500 block of North Rancho Drive.

Using a photo lineup, the cabdriver identified the robber as the same man who committed the four robberies on Friday, police said.

Sunday afternoon, Snodgrass said a resident of a home near Rancho Drive and Craig Road saw a man in his back yard and opened the sliding glass door.

The suspect forced the man to get into his Mitsubishi, and the suspect drove away. It's not clear why the suspect wanted the car owner to get into the car. The suspect dropped the victim off on the Owens Avenue overpass.

The suspect hasn't been overly aggressive when committing his crimes -- Snodgrass said he chatted with victims during the carjackings and kidnapping -- and he hasn't hurt anyone.

A relative of Getahun's recently died in Los Angeles, and that might have set Getahun off, police said. Getahun is a heavy gambler who is known to live at motels, police said.

He is Ethiopan, about 6 feet tall and weighs about 160 pounds.

The more than 4,000 cabdrivers in the Las Vegas Valley undergo extensive safety training, including how to prevent a robbery, authorities said. Getahun also received the same training, and the suspect has been using it to his advantage.

"He knows exactly what to tell them," Moore said.

All cabs in Clark County are equipped with green lights on their roofs that, when on, indicate that the driver needs help. Snodgrass said the suspect told the two drivers who were carjacked not to turn the lights on.

The Taxicab Authority is working on getting cameras in cabs, Moore said, but cameras probably would not have prevented this most recent string of robberies.

Moore said "the odds are astronomical" that a cab passenger would be victimized, even though it happened Friday, and she urged the public not to panic. She recommended using a cab stand to get a cab, or calling a cab company to get a cab dispatched.

Before this latest robbery spree, there had been about 25 robberies of cab drivers so far this year. There were 51 robberies last year and 116 in 2001.