Miami Cabbie Shot During Robbery
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Miami taxi driver who was shot during a robbery has been released from the hospital.
Cabbie Samson Ojo, 63, said his taxi company got a call from a woman around 5 a.m. who wanted to be picked up at 1971 NW 18th Terrace early Tuesday morning.
When he arrived, a woman approached Ojo and asked if he was there for her.
"She tapped on my window and asked if I was there to pick her up, I said 'yes'. As I was talking to her, I hear 'Don't move' and when I look I see a guy with a gun," said Ojo.
After Ojo handed over $29, he said they tried to pull him out of the car. He said he managed to close the door and drive off. As he sped away, he was shot in the back.
"He shot me through the window, the bullet went through my seat and in my back," said Ojo.
He knew he needed help fast.
"I was thinking of my family, I can't leave them behind without anything," said Ojo.
When he arrived at the Miami Police Department's South District Substation, at 2200 West Flagler Street, officers called for an ambulance.
Ojo was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center where he was treated and released hours later. He said he's been robbed before, but this was the first time he's been shot.
"It's sad, it's a very dangerous profession, but it's the only way he knows how to survive," said Ojo's daughter Sharee.
Fellow cab driver Elvidia Villatoro said they put their lives on the line every night. She said she was robbed in the same area where Ojo was shot.
"When I go there two guys put a gun to my head, take out my pocketbook and papers,' said Villatoro.
When asked why he drove to a police station instead of to a hospital, Ojo said "It was safe there. I didn't know what would happen from there to the hospital. I was afraid for my life."
He described the people who set him up as being in their late teens to early 20s.
Ojo, who has driven a cab for 20 years, said he planned to be back on the job Wednesday, but wouldn't go back to the neighborhood where he was ambushed.
