Cab driver flees taxi, leaving would-be robbers inside

BY BILL MASON

bill.mason@newsday.com

A cab driver in Uniondale knocked a gun out of a hold-up man's hands and fled his moving taxi Tuesday night with two would-be robbers still inside, Nassau police said.

No shots were fired, and the 39-year old driver for Taxi Latino was not injured, police said.

The driver for Taxi Latino had picked up the two men at Tower Court about 9:20 p.m., police said, and they directed him to drive them to Walnut Street.

There, one man pointed a black handgun at the driver's head and the other displayed a knife, police said, announcing the robbery.

The driver knocked the gun away and fled the cab. The taxi, left in gear, traveled a short distance, police said, until it mounted a curb and struck a tree. The two men inside fled without any proceeds, police said.

Detectives asked that anyone with information regarding the incident contact Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS.