Cab driver robbed at gunpoint

Long Beach police are searching for a man who robbed a local cab driver at gunpoint on Saturday, after the suspect flagged down the taxi and demanded cash.

Police said that the incident occurred on Jan. 26 at 1:15 p.m., when man approached the on-duty cab driver at Rev. J.J. Evans Boulevard and East Hudson Street. According to police, the suspect asked the cabbie about an address in Island Park, and then pulled out a handgun and told the cab driver to open the door.

According to police, the suspect entered the back of the vehicle and demanded money, at which point the driver forked over $200. The cab driver headed toward Long Beach Boulevard, and the suspect exited the vehicle in the area of Riverside Boulevard, and fled north through some yards on Fulton Street.

Police said that the cab driver’s dispatcher notified the Long Beach Police Department after the incident.

Police said that the driver was not injured, but said that they are currently withholding the name of the cab company during its investigation. Police described the suspect as an 18- to 20-year-old black male, approximately about 5 feet 7 or 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, medium complexion and “squinty” eyes. Police said the man was wearing a shiny, purple hooded down jacket when the incident occurred.

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the LBPD’s tip Line at (516) 705-7370. All calls will be kept confidential.