Teen used WhatsApp to set up Bradenton taxi robbery at gunpoint, police say
Bradenton police arrested a 16-year-old boy Thursday after he allegedly robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint, the department said in a news release.
The driver told police he picked up a passenger who went by “Bob” in Palmetto and drove him to the 500 block of Martin Luther King Avenue West around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the release. The suspect requested the ride through WhatsApp, and police said he had used the same pickup and drop-off locations several times in the past three months.
Police said the driver, who works for Taxi Caribe, told investigators the passenger paid for the ride in cash and asked for change. When the driver opened a compartment where he kept money, police said the passenger pulled out a gun, demanded the cash and ran from the vehicle.
Detectives said they linked the Palmetto address to a previous case involving the 16-year-old, who matched the description given by the driver. The driver later identified him as “Bob” in a photo lineup, according to the release.
The teen is charged with armed robbery with a firearm, juvenile in possession of a firearm as a subsequent offense, violation of probation and violation of a risk protection order, according to police.
The Bradenton Herald does not name juvenile suspects.
