Cab driver wanted in rape of passenger in Brooklyn

WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police in Brooklyn are searching for a taxi driver who is accused of raping a female passenger at knifepoint.

The victim told detectives she had just hailed a yellow cab and apparently fell asleep on her way home.

What she remembers next, she said, is being raped in the back seat at knifepoint by the driver.

She said she escaped, but not before being slashed across her hands and face.

The incident happened near Rodney Street and South 1st Street in Williamsburg, which is a very isolated area right next to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, near the entrance to the Willamsburg Bridge.

The victim is a 26-year-old woman who was trying to get to Manhattan. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Friday, May 6.

Police say their suspect is Southwest Asian in appearance, forty to forty-five years old, roughly five-eight, wearing what was described as a red and orange turban.

The victim said it happened six days ago.

By law, all New York City yellow cabs are equipped with GPS tracking devices. That records the taxi's medallion number and the time and location of drop-offs and pick-ups.

Why detectives have been unable to use that information to identify the driver was not immediately clear. City regulators are cooperating in the case.

"The Taxi and Limousine Commission is working to spread the sketch as far and wide as possible," said a spokesman.

The cabbie allegedly stole the woman's cell phone and $20. She was taken to a local hospital and treated for injuries to her face and hands, apparently the result of a struggle.

Anyone with information in regards to this rape is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

You can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting your tips to 274637(CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

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new york city, rape, brooklyn, williamsburg, taxi, new york news, n.j. burkett

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