Taxi driver held at gunpoint while dropping off passenger

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — A Lafayette taxi driver was held at gunpoint by a passenger.

According to Lafayette Police, the robbery happened last Thursday around 6 a.m. near US 52 and US 231.

The passenger was picked up and asked to be dropped off at a new location. Once the driver reached the destination, she heard a gun cock and the passenger asked her for money.

Driver Virginia Graves said this trip was nothing out of the ordinary. 

“The first thing I did when I got out of the cab was I ran to the cop and I hugged him because I hadn’t talked to anyone or physically seen anyone until then,” Graves said.

When a driver picks up a passenger, they are encouraged to have the person sit in the front seat and not the back. If the passenger is sitting in the back, the driver can’t exactly see what he or she is doing and that’s exactly what happened when the passenger pulled out a gun.

Chaney’s Magic Taxi owner Lester Chaney has been a driver in Lafayette for more than 30 years. He said he has run into similar situations.

“In this type of business, we have to interact with a lot of people that are drinking or are intoxicated,” said Chaney. “Sometimes it gets a little complicated.”

The person involved in this robbery has yet to be identified and Lafayette Police continue to investigate.

Chaney said he will now be installing video cameras inside of his vehicles to make sure his drivers feel safe.