Police: Iowa City taxi cab driver doused with chemical spray, robbed of fare

Iowa City police are looking for more information on a strong-arm taxi cab robbery that was reported to have taken place at 2:58 a.m. near the intersection of Mormon Trek Boulevard and Petsel Place.

The crime reportedly involved the use of a chemical spray to incapacitate the cabdriver.

According to an Iowa City Police Department media release, the driver reporter to officers that he had taken two passengers, a black male and a black female to the above intersection. Once they had arrived at their destination, he turned to collect his fare, when the woman allegedly sprayed him in the face with a chemical spray believed to be pepper spray, according to the release.

The two passengers then fled the vehicle without paying their cab fare and were last seen running into the Pheasant Ridge Apartment complex nearby.

This robbery is in addition to another reported robbery of a taxi cab driver in Iowa City on Saturday night. In that case, the robbery was described as being carried out by two black males.

According to the release, the driver described the two passengers as being a black female in her mid-twenties, approximately 5 foot 8 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 to 200 pounds, wearing her hair in an Afro style and clad in all black clothing; the male was described as being a slender black man, 6 feet tall, about 170 pounds, with short hair and wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and red baseball cap.

The driver said besides the chemical spray, no weapons were displayed during the robbery. Police reported that the driver sustained minor injuries as a result of the attack.

This robbery is under investigation by the Iowa City Police. Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering up to $1,000 as a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest of these suspects. Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact CrimeStoppers at 358-8477. All calls are confidential and the identity of the caller does not need to be revealed to collect the reward.