BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A 16-year-old was taken into custody on Thursday, accused of holding up a ‘Taxi Caribe’ driver at gunpoint, as per the Bradenton Police Department.
Police reported that at 1:48 p.m., they got a call from the driver to inform them about the robbery that took place in the 500 block of Martin Luther King Avenue West.
The victim conveyed to the officers that he got a WhatsApp alert for a ride from a customer identified as “Bob” with a pickup point in Palmetto and a drop-off point at the Martin Luther King address.
The taxi driver told detectives that he had given the customer rides to and from those locations several times within the last 3 months.
According to police, the suspect paid for the ride in cash and asked for change. As the driver opened a compartment where he kept cash, “Bob” pointed a gun at him and demanded the money.
After the driver complied, the suspect fled from the car.
After researching the Palmetto address, detectives found a previous case involving a 16-year-old that matched the driver’s description of the suspect.
This was confirmed when the victim was presented with a photo lineup and identified the 16-year-old as the person who had robbed him.
The Bradenton Police Department arrested the teen and has charged him with armed robbery with a firearm, juvenile in possession of a firearm, and violation of probation.
