Men assaulted by phony cab driver near downtown Kansas City
Two men were assaulted near downtown Kansas City early Sunday by a phony taxi driver and two accomplices.
The victims told police they were waiting for a cab near 13th Street and Grand Boulevard just after 3 a.m. when one of them made arrangements with a man he thought was a cab driver to give them a ride for $10.
The car didn’t have any markings or a meter, they told police. After getting in, they noticed the driver, who made a brief phone call, was driving in the wrong direction. The victims told the driver to stop, but he kept driving to an alley near 16th Street and Broadway.
There, two other assailants appeared, and they began punching the victims and attempting to go through their pockets, according to police reports.
The three fled in what was described as a custom-painted dark blue Chevrolet Impala.
Both victims had lacerations on their faces, and one suffered a broken front tooth.
| Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 8, 2014 at 11:24 AM.