Myrtle Beach police arrest 4 in taxi driver robberies

Myrtle Beach police arrested four people in connection with what they said were two connected armed robberies.

Police arrested Triana Small, 17, Friday morning in the armed robberies of two taxi drivers, according to Lt. Joey Crosby. Names of the other three people arrested were not released because they are juveniles. Three other people were also arrested but their names are restricted because they are juveniles. Cases for a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old will move to family court. A 16-year-old suspect’s charges have been waived to adult status, Crosby said.

Witnesses told police the suspects were staying in a residence in the Racepath community just outside Myrtle Beach city limits, Crosby said. Investigators obtained a warrant and arrested the suspects Friday.

Officers responded about 3:47 a.m. Thursday to Pine Island Road and Ramsey Drive in Myrtle Beach, where a 64-year-old man reported the incident, authorities said.

The victim said he was dispatched to the area of Gray Street and Acline Street. He saw some people hiding in bushes when he pulled up, and three men and one woman jumped into his cab. The group said they were the ones who called for the taxi and asked to be taken to Ramsey Drive, authorities said.

The victim said once on Ramsey Drive, the group asked to go to another location, then one of the men grabbed the victim from behind and tried to choke him, police said. The victim said one of the others in the group told the man trying to choke him to “whale on him,” according to the report.

The victim said the group was shouting for him to give them all his money. The man gave the suspects some money and then started yelling he was being robbed into his cab microphone, which is connected to his dispatch office. The victim said the suspects grabbed his cellphone and ran toward Martin Street, authorities said.

Shortly before that robbery, police responded to a report of a taxi driver attacked, according to a police report. The 63-year-old driver told police he picked up four men about 3:15 a.m. in front of a pawn shop at 1852 Mr. Joe White Avenue, and they asked him to take them to Gray Street.

The victim said once he got to Gray Street, the men told him to turn down several other streets. One of the men suddenly grabbed him from behind and wrapped both hands around the victim’s neck, according to a police report. The victim said he was able to fight off the suspect.

The men then jumped out of his cab and ran. The victim to a gas station in the 1800 block of Mr. Joe White Avenue and called police.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 9:16 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach police arrest 4 in taxi driver robberies."