A man got into a taxi cab on Monday afternoon in Reading, PA, intending to rob the driver, but didn’t take his surroundings into account as a police car was right behind the taxi.
“Give me all your money man, give me all you got,” the hooded and masked would-be robber demanded as he pressed his gun against the head of the driver. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, keep your hands where I can see them,” he stated.
Dash-cam video from the taxi shows the driver complying with the robber’s demands and handing over his money.
“There’s a cop behind us,” the taxi driver then said to the oblivious robber.
The taxi had been stopped at a red light when the would-be robber entered the cab. When the vehicle didn’t move when the light turned green, the officer turned on his emergency lights and went to investigate.
The would-be robber can be seen turning around just in time to see the police officer approaching. A few seconds later the officer, with weapon drawn, can be heard ordering the would-be robber to get out and get on the ground.
Victor Herrea, 18, was arrested and charged with robbery and making terroristic threats. The gun turned out to be a pellet gun.
The taxi driver, shaken by the incident, can be heard saying “oh my god, oh my god, I can’t believe it.”