PARK SLOPE — An irate passenger ditched the livery cab he was riding in for a green Boro Taxi after he punched his driver during a fight over the fare, police said.
The 52-year-old livery cab driver and the passenger got into an argument over the fare while they were in a Lincoln Town Car on Atlantic Avenue and 4th Avenue at 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 18, according to the NYPD.
The passenger allegedly asked the cab driver to give him his money back, then punched the driver several times in face while saying, “Give me that money back. … I’m going to kill you.”
The passenger then got out of the livery cab and hailed a green Boro Taxi which he used to flee.
The cab driver sustained bruising and swelling to the face as a result of the attack, police said.
No arrests were made.
Other notable crimes from the 84th and 88th precincts include:
- A 14-year-old boy was walking up the stairs from the Fulton Street G stop with a friend when a stranger approached them and asked, “What do you have for me?” The suspect grabbed the boy by his coat and forced him to sit on a bench, then took his gold chain necklace, hat and cell phone. The suspect was about to take the boy’s boots when he got scared and ran off. No arrests have been made.
- A 75-year-old woman was walking home on Dean Street when a man on a CitiBike rode next to her, knocked her to the ground and stole her Samsung flip phone, keys, umbrella and pocketbook. The woman received injuries to her right knee and was taken to Long Island College Hospital. No arrests were made. Police say they are looking for a man in his 30s who was wearing dark-colored clothing.
- A 71-year-old woman was walking in front of 141 Livingston Street when 40-year-old Rochelle Griffin shoved her, causing her to fall on a pile of garbage. The woman received an injury to her left hip and left arm. The woman, who police say is in "frail condition," was taken to Brooklyn Hospital for further evaluation. Prosecutors say Griffin told officers trying to arrest her, "You can't arrest me, I'm a police officer." Griffin was charged with assault, harassment, menacing and impersonating a police officer.
- A 26-year-old man walked into the Hoyt Street 2/3 station and tried to swipe his MetroCard to get on the train. When his card failed, police say 51-year-old Rod Smith approached him from behind, accused him of owing him money and punched him repeatedly in the face, causing bruising, bleeding and swelling. The victim was treated at Methodist Hospital and suffered a cracked eye socket to his left eye. Smith was charged with assault, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment.
- A burglar forced his way into an apartment building by breaking the lock to the front door on Bergen Street between Court and Smith streets. The thief then entered a third-floor apartment and took a $500-dollar stroller. No arrests were made.
