Cabbie Drives Off With an Infant After Adult Passenger Allegedly Refused to Pay Fare

The cab driver alerted authorities shortly after, and the male passenger was arrested.

Chicago cab
Getty

Image via Getty/Tim Boyle

Chicago cab

A 34-year-old man reported an attempted kidnapping this week in the South Side of Chicago. An arrest was made shortly after the phone call; however, it wasn't the arrest the man had expected.

According to Chicago Sun-Times the incident went down early Wednesday morning in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood, where a 34-year-old man got into a dispute with a cabbie. Police say the driver picked up the man, a woman, and an 11-month-old child shortly before 3 a.m. local time on South Randolph Street. Once they arrived at their destination on South Stony Island Avenue, the driver and male passenger got into an argument because the latter allegedly refused to pay the fare. Authorities say that as the situation escalated, the man became increasingly violent and eventually kicked the cab.

The 60-year-old told police that he started to fear for his safety, so he locked the vehicle doors and drove away ... with the infant still inside.

According to the Sun-Times, the driver traveled a short distance before he stopped and called police. The male passenger also alerted authorities after the incident, claiming the driver had tried to kidnap the child. Police ultimately determined the passenger was at fault, and placed him under arrest. The charges are were still pending as of Wednesday night.

The Sun-Times reports no other arrests were made, and the child was handed over to the female passenger.

Latest in Life