Sources: 3 Arrested In Killing Of 2 Livery Cab Drivers In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Three people wanted for the killings of two livery cab drivers in the Bronx have been arrested after a taxi cab driver reportedly saw the suspects and called police with a tip.
As CBS 2's Matt Kozar reported, in less than two weeks, the men are accused of murdering two cab drivers and then stealing their cars to commit other crimes in the Bronx and Yonkers.
The three suspects appeared in White Plains Federal Court Friday afternoon, dressed in plain clothes.
Sources: 3 Arrested In Killing Of 2 Livery Cab Drivers In The Bronx
"We suspected that the same gang of thugs were responsible for both deaths," said Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. "We are now hoping that the district attorney is going to make sure that these guys don't see the light of day anymore. They terrified, they terrorized our industry."
Mateo told 1010 WINS one more suspect is still on the loose.
"We will not give up until this last person is arrested," Mateo said.
In the most recent killing, a 62-year-old driver was found shot in the head around 6 a.m. Tuesday on Bryant Avenue in Hunts Point, police said. His car was found abandoned on Underhill Avenue in Soundview, 1010 WINS reported.
Maoudo Kane, 49, was found shot once in the head in Co-Op City last Tuesday morning. Law enforcement sources told 1010 WINS that Kane's cab was the suspected getaway car in a pair of armed robberies in Yonkers before it was abandoned near Yankee Stadium.
After that murder, investigators say the men used Kane's black livery cab to go on a robbery spree in Yonkers. They reportedly wore masks as they hit two locations in less than 15 minutes, including the Irish Mini Mark on McLean Avenue, and stole cash, bleach and a cell phone. They then allegedly robbed a Dunkin Donuts just four miles away.
Prosecutors say the men doused the livery cab with bleach before ditching it.
Kozar reported ballistic evidence shows the same gun was used in both murders.
Investigators say they have surveillance video showing the suspects ditching the second livery cab on Tuesday and then leaving their clothes in a dumpster in White Plains.
"The message to the industry once again is don't pick up illegal street hails, watch where you're picking up, make sure you understand that anyone that can get in your car may have a gun, make sure that your cameras are working," Mateo said.
Carjacking is a federal crime, which is why the case is being handled by the FBI and U.S. attorneys, Kozar reported.
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