Police nab hapless robber who used taxi as getaway car

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Montreal police say they’ve arrested a man who used a taxi as a getaway — and get-to — car in a gas station heist in St-Léonard.

Officers from Station 42 nabbed the 47-year-old suspect on Wednesday as he fled the gas station on Langelier Blvd. in the taxi that he had hired to bring him there.

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The police said in a press release on Friday the suspect is alleged to have ordered the cab from a north-end bar. During the ride, he allegedly asked the driver to stop at a gas station so he could buy cigarettes.

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“Once inside, the alleged thief instead showed the clerk a firearm,” the press release said. The suspect then allegedly went behind the counter and grabbed cartons of cigarettes, lottery tickets and the cash register drawer. The employee told customers who entered about the robbery in progress. The customers left and called 911.

Two patrol vehicles rushed to the gas station while the suspect was sitting in the back seat of the taxi with the cash register till on his lap. The man was handcuffed and placed under arrest.

The suspect’s weapon, which turned out to be an air pistol, was seized during the arrest, the press release said.

The suspect has been charged with robbery, using an imitation firearm and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The police say the investigation is continuing to determine whether the suspect, who is known to police, was involved in other recent robberies.

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