Police: Fearing Robbery Plot, Taxi Driver Holds Passenger At Gunpoint
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DUQUESNE (KDKA) – A taxi driver, who allegedly feared he was about to be robbed, has been arrested for holding a passenger at gunpoint in Duquesne.
According to police, the incident happened around 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday.
The 59-year-old driver for zTrip told police he picked up a 22-year-old man in Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood and was taking him to McKeesport.
"I keep seeing the barrel of a gun in my face," said passenger, Laron Bonner. "I keep jumping. If I hear a noise, I'll jump, and I'll come outside."
Bonner was texting during the ride. The driver claimed he felt the passenger was planning to rob him.
"Instead of hitting the silent panic button in the cab, or dialing 911, or simply stopping and running away from the cab, the driver chose to retrieve his pistol and threaten the passenger," the police report said.
However, Bonner says he was texting with his brother, Tyler Reese, who had offered to pay for the zTrip ride so the two of them could visit each other in McKeesport. Bonner and Reese say their texting exchange was about how much the ride was going to cost.
"I hear my little brother say 'Oh man, bro, he's turning around, he's got a gun. He's gonna shoot me,'" said Reese.
The taxi driver then began to drive around looking for a police officer.
According to the victim, as they entered Duquesne, the driver allegedly ordered him out of the car and to lie down on the ground along Route 837, near a construction site.
"He put his foot on the back of my head and he tells me he's gonna kill me. I was afraid for my life. I was saying my prayers with my eyes closed. I had dirt all over my face," said Bonner.
When police arrived, they checked the victim's text messages and found nothing that would indicate a robbery being planned.
The driver was taken into custody and is facing a list of charges including, assault, terroristic threats and unlawful restraint. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.
A zTrip spokesperson released a statement on the incident Wednesday night. It reads in part:
"We are cooperating with authorities in the investigation of this unfortunate incident. Pending the outcome of the investigation, Ztrip has suspended all leasing privileges for the driver involved in this matter, Michael Brown."
