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Police: Woman Steals Taxi, Picks Up Paying Passengers

PHILADELPHIA (KDKA/AP) - Police say a woman stole a taxi in Philadelphia and picked up a fare.

They say 65-year-old Betty Thomas caught the cab around midnight Thursday and asked to be taken to the SugarHouse Casino. On the way, she asked the driver to make a stop at a gas station so she could get something to drink.

The driver got out of the car to help Thomas because she appeared to have trouble walking. That's when Thomas jumped into the driver's seat and drove off.

Police stopped the taxi 30 minutes later and found a 23-year-old woman and her infant daughter in the backseat.

The mother told officers she had hailed the cab earlier, not realizing it was stolen.

Thomas was charged with theft-unlawful taking, theft of services, theft-receiving stolen property, terroristic threats and unauthorized use of auto.

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(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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