Trinidad: Gunman poses as passenger, robs taxi driver in San Juan

Trinidad and Tobago: A 31-year-old taxi driver was robbed at gunpoint after being tricked into a fake hire in the San Juan area on Wednesday afternoon in Trinidad and Tobago. The victim reported that the suspect hired him to run errands but later pulled out a handgun and ordered him to hand over his belongings.

According to police reports, the taxi driver was operating his taxi around  5:00 p.m. on October 15, in a Port of Spain, when the suspect approached him and hired him for a trip to Massy Stores, St. Ann’s.

Further, the driver claimed that the passenger reportedly told him that he needed to deliver money to a friend, and after doing so, he would need to return to San Juan to pick up his three female friends.

The taxi driver agreed and followed the direction given by the man to the 3rd Avenue North, Barataria and upon turning off the Eastern Main Road the situation turned violent.

The suspect allegedly drew a handgun on the driver, ordering him to proceed to Hyde Road, North Bagatelle, San Juan. Upon arrival, he announced a robbery and stole the driver's Samsung A55 cellphone (valued at $3,000), $2,000 in cash, and a wallet containing his national ID. Additionally he also took the driver’s permit, and bank card.

After the robbery, the suspect instructed the driver to remain still and silent and then opened the door of the taxi and escaped the vehicle on foot.

The shaken victim later reported the incident to police and described the suspect as a brown-skinned male, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, slim built, with a chipped front tooth. Along with this, he also mentioned that at the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a blue coloured T-shirt with blue coloured three-quarter pants, and paired it with a blue cap.

Authorities further said that the police officers from San Juan Police Station, including PC Ferguson processed the scene and started obtaining the CCTV footage of the area. They also interviewed several persons to gather more information but they returned empty handed.

They added that investigations into the matter are ongoing, as they work to gather evidence. The public is advised to remain vigilant and cautious, avoiding hasty judgments about others.