Two Lawrenceville men have been arrested after they allegedly attacked and robbed a taxi driver.
Shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, the driver picked up a man on Ashley Lakes Drive in Norcross, Gwinnett County police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. That passenger told the driver to pick up another man and two teen girls at a Norcross apartment complex, police said.
At the intersection of Lawrenceville Highway and Halcyon Way, the driver asked for payment and one of the men offered his watch, Pihera said. The driver insisted on proper payment. One of the men said he didn’t have any money and grabbed the driver’s phone from his hand, police said. The man began beating the driver in the head and upper body, and the driver got out of the car and tried to defend himself, Pihera said.
An off-duty DeKalb County police officer saw the incident and stopped to help, Pihera said. The passengers ran away after they saw the officer, leaving some of their belongings in the taxi.
The passengers, 21-year-old Aram Johnson and 18-year-old Keondrae Prater, were arrested after someone spotted them in the area of Lawrenceville Highway and Shannon Way, Pihera said. Both were taken to the Gwinnett jail.
Johnson and Prater were charged with robbery. Johnson faces additional charges of burglary and possession of marijuana after police linked him to a burglary a short distance from the location of the attack, Pihera said.
The driver had lacerations on his head and foot.
The teen girls, ages 16 and 14, said they left the taxi when they saw the beating taking place, Pihera said. They were released to an adult.
About the Author
