Crime

Cab driver arrested in W.H. robbery, hit-and-run

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Nassau County police arrested a Queens taxi driver for robbing another motorist after a hit-and-run that occurred in West Hempstead on April 4.

Jeffrey Bernard, 36, of Jamaica, according to detectives, was driving his taxi cab down Hempstead Gardens Drive at 8:4 a.m. when he hit into another car driven by an 18-year-old male. Bernard then left the scene of the accident traveling south before he eventually pulled over on Linden Street.

Police said the young driver followed the suspect, stepped out of his car and attempted to call police before Bernard soon grabbed the phone from the victim’s hand and got back in his cab.

In an attempt to stop Bernard from leaving the scene again, the victim grabbed the rear of the taxi cab and was dragged about two blocks before falling off, sustaining an abrasion to his elbow and a leg injury.

On April 5 at 1:15 p.m., police located Bernard at his residence and placed him under arrest without incident. Bernard is charged with first and second-degree robbery, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and leaving the scene of an accident with physical injury and without report. He pleaded guilty at his arraignment on April 6 at First District Court in Hempstead, and was held on $50,000 bail, according to court records.