A Philadelphia man is accused of robbing one cab driver and not paying another.
Rakeem Montrell Fielder, 20, was charged Monday with two counts of robbery and single counts of possession of prohibited firearm, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, simple assault and theft.
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According to Falls Township police, a cab driver reported being robbed last Wednesday evening by a man later identified as Fielder after being dispatched to the Commons at Fallsington complex on Makefield Road to pick up a fare. Fielder waved down the cab driver and said he was going to visit his girlfriend at a local hospital.
At some point, Fielder pulled out a gun while demanding money and began to argue with the cab driver, who told the 20 year old that he was recording the whole incident, police said.
Once the cab driver told Fielder the police were on their way, the 20 year old retracted the gun’s slide in an effort to imply he was preparing to fire the weapon, police said.
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Fielder, who was going by the alias “Keith,” eventually fled the cab without harming the driver, police said.
Hours later, a cab driver reported to police that he drove a customer from St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown to the Commons at Fallsington. By the time the ride was complete and after some back-and-forth with a man matching Fielder’s description, the cab driver went to police to report an unpaid fare, police said.
Detectives used social media and good ol’ shoe leather investigative work to identify Fielder and that he had been spotted with a Commons at Fallsington resident over the past months, according to court papers.
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Fielder has previously been convicted of felony burglary and is unable to lawfully possess a firearm, police said.
Fielder was arraigned Tuesday afternoon by District Judge Jan Vislosky and sent to prison on 10 percent of $75,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
