ATLANTA,None — A string of taxi cab robberies in metro Atlanta has cabbies concerned and on high alert.
The president of the Atlanta Taxi Cab Industry Association said Atlanta police told him eight cab drivers were robbed in the city of Atlanta within 24 hours this weekend alone. Channel 2 has confirmed at least one more in DeKalb County and another beating and robbery of a driver in Clayton County. The robberies are said to be unrelated.
"It's a new phenomenon because we haven't had it that much within a short period of time, and it's a cause for us to be worried," said Luke Azubuike of the Taxi Cab Industry Association.
He said he is warning drivers in the city to be aware of their environment and to be careful.
"It's been very, very brutal on drivers, and we are very concerned about it," Azubuike told Channel 2 reporter Tony Thomas on Monday.
The beating and robbery in Clayton County has driver Scott Walters hesitant to get back in his cab. He showed Thomas the 13 staples he has in his head and wounds to both hands after the pistol-whipping two men gave him just before midnight Saturday.
"I said, 'All right guys. Put in park,' and he reaches around and just starts pounding my head and pounding my head."
Walters said he struggled with one of the two passengers as he was being hit with the butt of the gun but he couldn't release his seat belt and free himself.
"What's going through your mind as your sitting there?" Thomas asked.
"Dude, I thought he was going to shoot me. You really want to know what I thought? 'Man, that shot's going to hit me in the face.' So the guy who got the money he's telling the guy in the back seat, 'Shoot him! shoot him!' I said, 'Man, you got my money. Don't shoot me.' I don't know what stopped him. Maybe it was God."
After a brief struggle, Walters said the two men ran off with less than $20.
Walters and his family spent the weekend cleaning up all the blood splattered in his cab as Clayton County police investigate the attack.
"Three and a half years, I've never had anything like this happen," Walters said.
At the Atlanta airport taxi cab waiting area near the terminals, hundreds of cabbies wait every day to pick up fares. They also discuss the latest news. The weekend attacks are tops on their lists right now.
Cabbie Hussein Deka said he's been lucky. In 20 years on the job, he's only been robbed once, but he worries his luck will run out.
"It's just something that's there, you know, because of the economy situation. It's there but this time it's getting worse," Deka said as he sat in his cab.
Channel 2 was unable to independently verify the number of robberies with any police agency since it was the July Fourth holiday, but Atlanta police did release a surveillance photo on Sunday of three men officers said they are looking for in connection with the robbery and carjacking of a cab driver on Saturday.
The Atlanta Lenox Cab Company driver picked up passengers in front of the Omni Hotel. At some point, he was robbed and kicked out of his car.
Police found it two miles away and him at a gas station.
He was taken to the hospital with head wounds.
At the scene, Atlanta police Sgt. Richard Straut was frank with reporters about his message to the attackers.
"They need to know we are coming after you. You're not going to come down here and do this to our citizens," Straut said.
There was no word from Atlanta police on Monday if they'd found the men they are looking for.
WSBTV
