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Cab driver kills armed
robber, goes to jail
Originally ran here
as:
"Threatened, cabbie kills, dumps fare"
By William Kaempffer, Special to the Herald
June 18, 2001, The New
Britain Herald
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT -- A cab driver shot and
killed his passenger Friday after the man allegedly slashed the driver's throat
during an attempted robbery, police said.
The cabbie then allegedly pulled the dying
assailant from the car and drove off.
Police discovered the still-unidentified passenger on the side of the road in
the 100 block of Chapel Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood. They received the
report of an injured person at 11:15 p.m.
Officers located the driver, John Lutters, across town more than two hours
later.
Lutters, 42, works for Metro Taxi.
"It looks like it's an attempted robbery and the cab driver retaliated with
a handgun," said Sgt. John Velleca, a supervisor in the detective bureau.
"At this point, there's no evidence that suggests anything other than
that."
The investigation, however, was ongoing, Velleca said, and additional charges
could be filed if the evidence warrants.
By Saturday, police had charged Lutters only with carrying a pistol without a
permit.
Stories of the assault and shooting circulated quickly Saturday among the
community of cab drivers.
"We know it's not a safe job. It's hard," said Mohammed Mahmoud, who
has driven for Metro on and off for 10 years.
Standing by his cab outside Union Station, Mahmoud said his brother-in-law was
robbed with a gun just two weeks ago. "They put a gun to his side," he
said. "It's a scary job."
Drivers at Tweed-New Haven Airport said many of their colleagues are scared to
take fares in certain neighborhoods.
"Fair Haven is a crazy place," said Atiq Khandhari, a driver for two
years. Most drivers don't want to go there in the night time. I don't worry
about it, because I drive for a living."
Accounts from police and Metro cab drivers helped assemble a picture of a
routine fare that turned deadly.
Police believe Lutters picked up the passenger on Chapel Street, Velleca said.
Almost immediately, the driver told police, the passenger put a pair of scissors
to his neck and demanded money. Then he began to cut the driver's throat,
Velleca said.
But Lutters carried a gun, police said. He fired once into the back seat,
striking the man in the neck, police said.
Lutters then pulled him out of the car and drove off.
Authorities found the stricken man on the side of the road and rushed him to
Yale-New Haven Hospital. He died at 3:17 a.m. Saturday.
It wasn't until 1:30 a.m. that Lutters called police. Officers found him and his
cab in a parking lot of a coffee shop on Whalley Avenue at Ramsdell Street.
Lutters also was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he received stitches to
close his wound. Later, he was brought to police headquarters and then to the
lock-up.
He posted $25,000 bond Saturday afternoon and was released.
Police had not identified the dead man as of Saturday night, Velleca said.
Lutters could not be reached for comment Saturday. Officials from Metro Taxi did
not return calls for comment.
The drivers on the street, however, said they're scared.
"We work at night. We don't know who's got a knife, who's got a gun,"
said Tariq Shaikh. "We are scared to go at night time to Fair Haven."
Said Mahmoud: "What are you going to do? You will defend yourself."
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, this material is distributed, without profit, for research or
educational purposes. We do our best, as well, to give credit to the original
news source who published these Guns Save Lives stories out of respect and
appreciation for their willingness to spread the word that Guns Save Lives --
and when an original link is available, we ALWAYS send all our visitors to read
the original article on the original site where it was posted. God Bless the
Americans that publish these stories - for assisting Americans in hearing the
truth about guns saving lives.
KABA NOTE: The fact that a cab
driver must have a "permit" to defend his own life with a
constitutionally-protected weapon speaks volumes about the nation's state of
degradation. He probably saved his own life -- but now faces huge legal fees and
a potential jail sentence. Pathetic.
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