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2 Suspects Sought In Attack On Cabbie At Knifepoint

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2008

TAMPA - Police are looking for two men who attacked a cab driver at knifepoint, one of whom the cabbie stabbed in the hand.

The cab driver suffered a small cut to the front of his neck during the robbery attempt about 7:20 a.m. Thursday, Tampa police said.

Detectives today released surveillance video of the two men from a 7-Eleven convenience store in hopes of identifying them.

The cabbie picked up the men at the 7-Eleven at State Road 54 and Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel, and drove them to 9603 N. 15th St. in Tampa, police said.

The attack occurred about a week after two cab drivers were attacked in St. Petersburg and another one was killed, according to news reports.

In the attack on the cab driver, one of the men exited the cab upon reaching the destination, saying he needed to get money, police said. When he returned, the passenger who had remained in the back seat grabbed the driver around the neck as his partner pointed a closed folding knife at the driver and demanded cash, police said.

The driver struggled with the men, grabbed the knife and stabbed the back-seat passenger in the hand, police said.

Both men ran. The cabbie drove to a gas station at North 15th Street and East Fowler Avenue, where he found an officer fueling her patrol car and reported the attack.

Police described the men as Hispanic and in their 20s. One man stands about 5-foot-3 and weighs about 140 pounds; he is balding with black hair and is clean-shaven. The other man stands about 5-foot-5 and weighs about 160 pounds; he has long, curly black hair that was tied in a ponytail.

Investigators asked anyone with information about the men to call police at (813) 231-6130.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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