Taxicab Armed Robbery, Floral Avenue, Binghamton

In October of 2004, two armed robberies of cab drivers occurred in the City of Binghamton, New York. The first incident took place on October 11, 2004. At about 10:00 PM on that date, a Yellow Cab picked up a fare, a lone male, in Johnson City. The man asked to be taken to an Endicott address, but requested that the cab stop at the Red Apple Store, 23 Floral Avenue, Binghamton, on the way there. After a brief stop at the Red Apple, the man returned to the cab to continue the trip to Endicott. Once inside the cab, the man then advised the driver that he needed to stop at a Carhart Avenue, Binghamton address. When the cab stopped in front of that address, the man exited the cab for a moment, then returned and got back inside. At this point, the man tied a bandana over the lower part of his face, then pointed a handgun at the driver and demanded his money. The driver handed his cash to the man, who immediately exited the cab and fled the area on foot, last seen running eastbound on Floral Avenue towards West End Avenue. The second incident took place on Wednesday, October 27, 2004. At about 4:36 PM on that date, a Courtesy Cab was dispatched to a Floral Avenue, Binghamton address. When the cab arrived at that address, a man approached the driver and asked her to pull into a nearby lot. Once the cab was in the lot, the man got into it, pulled a bandana up over his face, pointed a handgun at the driver and demanding money. After receiving the driver’s money, the man then pushed her out of the vehicle and onto the ground. He then jumped into the driver’s seat and drove away, stealing the cab and leaving the driver lying in the lot. The cab was later recovered by Binghamton Police, several blocks east on Crary Avenue. It was parked at the curb and still running when located. There are no reported injuries in either incident.
The subsequent investigations into the robberies leads Detectives to believe that possibly the same man is responsible for both robberies.
He is described in the first robbery as a dark skinned black male, age in twenties, about six foot tall, medium build, possibly with a thin mustache and goatee, wearing dark clothing, dark colored Yankee baseball cap and dark colored bandana over his face.
The description in the second incident is a black male, age approximately 30 to 37, about 5’6”, medium build, short curly hair, wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and a black jacket

Binghamton Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1000.00 for information which leads to the arrest and indictment of the individual(s) responsible for these crimes.