Another cab driver was robbed early this morning on the west side of Iowa City. Iowa City Police Sergeant Vicki Lalla says it’s the third armed robbery of a taxi cab driver in the area in less than a week.
“There’s an ongoing investigation,” Lalla says. “Detectives have been working on it since the first one occurred and we’ve also increased our patrols in the neighborhood.” A Marco’s Taxi Cab driver reported he was robbed at gunpoint at 4:45 a.m. by a thin, black man, who was about six feet tall and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.
The suspect took the driver’s cash and fled on foot. Similar robberies of cab drivers occurred in the same neighborhood last Friday and Sunday.
“Cab drivers should always be aware, especially when they’re out late at night or during the early morning hours, but certainly under these circumstances – given the fact there have been three robberies in close succession and close proximity to each other – if they do get a call for a fare or something in that area, they need to be extra careful and extra aware of their surroundings,” Lalla says.
In addition to the cab driver robberies, an individual reported being victim of a strong arm robbery in the neighborhood early Wednesday morning. All of the robberies have occurred within a mile of each other.
Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests any suspects.