by Mike Schnitzel
According to Nassau County police, Timothy Scanlon, 30, of 28 E. Oxford St., was picked up by the 30-year-old employee of All Island Taxi at the Rockville Centre train station. He asked to be driven to Valley Stream.
Police said Scanlon pulled out a knife as they drove along South Grove Street in Valley Stream. He allegedly slashed the cab driver's throat, ordered her into the passenger's seat and demanded all of her money. The driver managed to escape and ran for help down Merrick Road, where she was spotted by McDonnell "Mac" West, a delivery driver for Culligan Bottled Water at 173 E. Merrick Road.
According to West, 45, of Queens, he spotted the victim while he was sitting in his truck in front of his work place. "It was about 3:30 a.m. and I thought she was drunk, because she was stumbling," West said. "Then she grabbed a telephone pole and I saw her go down."
West said he got out of his truck and ran over to help the woman. "I turned her over, picked her up, and brought her into the driveway at work," he said. West said that the victim told him that someone had taken her cab, stolen her money and cut her throat. "I jumped back in my truck, grabbed my phone and called 911," he said.
Scanlon was apprehended at about 4 a.m. on the platform of the Valley Stream train station by police officers from the Fifth Precinct. According to police, they were able to recover the knife used in the attack, the cab and the money.
Scanlon was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned last Saturday in First District Court in Hempstead.
The cab driver was taken to Winthrop-University Hospital for treatment of her injuries. West said he had spoken with officials from All Island Taxi, who said that the victim had undergone six hours of surgery and was expected to survive.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
