Aug 22, 2008 7:42 am US/Eastern
NYC Livery Cab Driver Survives Harrowing Attack
Victim Jose Santa Cruz Shot In Cheek By Suspect In Attempted Robbery
Reporting
Jay Dow
QUEENS (CBS) ―
-
-
Livery cab driver Jose Santa Cruz picked up a man posing as a passenger. The suspect shot Santa Cruz in the cheek and then managed to escape. But Cruz survived the shot and is recovering in a Queens Hospital.
CBS
A quiet, residential block in East Elmhurst transformed in moments into the scene of an attempted robbery.
That's what police say happened on a dark stretch of Curtis Street at about 1 a.m. Friday morning, when someone posing as a customer hopped into a livery cab and shot the driver in the cheek.
"We feel so scared. We're not feeling sure we can do our job. We need more protection," said Humberto Camborde of Tulcingo Car Service.
Camborde, who owns the livery cab service, says the victims name is Jose Santa Cruz, and that Cruz drives part time for his company.
Camborde showed CBS 2's Jay Dow a photocopy of Santa Cruz's driver's license.
Santa Cruz, according to police, managed to keep driving after he was shot in the face.
The suspect, who is still on the loose, jumped out at some point after shooting Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz managed to make it all the way to the intersection of Northern and Junction Boulevards, just a block away from the 115th Precinct stationhouse.
Eric Mazriegos, a livery cab driver in the area, told Dow how the fear of getting robbed or killed rides "shotgun" with every livery cab driver every time they hit the streets.
"The anger is always there. I worry, but it's something we have to do...somebody has to do it."
Santa Cruz's injuries are not life threatening.
Please stay tuned to CBS 2 and WCBSTV.com for the latest on this developing story.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Most Useless Facts
Click to enlarge
Looming Storm Likely To Bury NYC, Suburbs 49 mins ago 
NYS Senate Votes To Immediately Expel Monserrate 14 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments