May 16, 2008 12:08 am US/Eastern
Road Rage: L.I. Taxi Driver Shot In Face
Cabbies Tell CBS 2 HD Gangs, Guns, Bad Attitudes Are Common In Hempstead After Midnight
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Police investigate after a taxi driver was shot in the face in Hempstead in an apparent case of road rage.
CBS
A Nassau County taxi driver was seriously injured after being shot in the face in a case of extreme road rage earlyThursday morning.
The shooting happened right outside the bus terminal at the Long Island Rail Road station in Hempstead around 1:15 a.m. Police say three taxi drivers were talking in the middle of the street when a man driving a Toyota Corolla pulled up behind them.
One of the taxi drivers apparently had his car situated in such a way that it was blocking the street when the Corolla approached, causing the motorist to become enraged.
Police say words were exchanged, there were hard feelings, and the man in the Toyota got out of the car and made a menacing gesture before driving off.
"About 10 minutes later, this man returns in his car, encounters the taxi driver he had the problem with and fires one round, striking him in the jaw, and then fled off," said Nassau Co. Lt. Raymond Cote.
"It was a situation of extreme road rage and, unfortunately, our victim was extremely injured."
The wounded driver, who works for Taxi Latino, has been an employee for only a few months.
"He's a hard-working gentleman out there making a living. It's a terrible situation," said taxi owner Larry Clessinger.
The gunman is said to be a black man in his late 20s, about 5-foot-10, with a medium build, short hair, in a light-colored, possibly gray Corolla.
"We're still looking for the shooter who is out there, armed and dangerous," said Cote.
Fellow cab drivers who work the area where the shooting took place told CBS 2 HD they often fear for their lives while they try to make an honest living.
"I lock my doors and don't talk to many people, you know, strangers," said Bob Vernon, a driver from Wantagh. "Yeah, yeah, it's pretty bad."
Added driver Marvin Sinkler: "It's really getting real dangerous out here. Gangs, guns, attitudes of people who don't want nothing in life."
If you have any information regarding this case, you're asked to call Nassau County CrimeStopper at 1-800-244-TIPS.
CBS 2 HD's Lou Young contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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