Police nab suspected
taxi robberThe Makiki resident allegedly
held up two taxis since Sept. 19
A 25-year-old Makiki man who police said preyed on taxi drivers near his Kewalo Street apartment was charged yesterday with two counts of robbery.
Police said Thadius Wilson was arrested after fleeing when police went to his apartment. Wilson was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree robbery. His bail is $75,000.
The first-degree charge stems from a Sept. 21 robbery. A taxi driver was stabbed with a small knife and had his money stolen by a passenger he dropped off at a parking lot on Keeaumoku Street, police said. The driver picked up the assailant in the 1400 block of Kewalo Street, not far from Wilson's home, at about 4 a.m.
Police said the robber also tried to drive off with the taxi but the driver refused to leave his vehicle.
The other charge stems from a Sept. 19 robbery. A taxi driver was punched and had his cellular telephone stolen by a man he picked up on Keeaumoku Street about 5 a.m., police said. The robber had called for a ride to Liholiho Street but directed the driver to an automated teller machine where he robbed him and fled on foot. Liholiho Street is one block Ewa of Kewalo Street.
Police said Wilson is also a suspect in a Sept. 13 robbery of a taxi driver, similar to the Sept. 21 case. The driver picked up his assailant in the 1400 block of Kewalo Street about 4 a.m.
Police said the robber directed the driver to an ATM on Kaheka Street, brandished a small knife and fled with the driver's money and car. The car was later found abandoned in Makiki with the keys in the ignition. The victim in that case was not able to identify Wilson as his assailant, said Detective Derrick Kiyotoki.
First-degree robbery is a class A felony with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
On Oct. 23, 2000, Wilson was arrested after stealing a caterer's van that was parked at the Honolulu Police Department main headquarters loading dock and crashing it a block and a half away near the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. He fled from the van but was caught by security guards at the Queen's Medical Center, who held him until police arrived.
Police had just released Wilson from custody without charges 15 minutes earlier, following his arrest the previous day for burglary. He was still wearing his HPD identification bracelet.
Wilson later pleaded no contest to auto theft, driving without a driver's license and fleeing the scene of an accident. He was fined $250 and ordered to pay $1,367.99 in restitution. The judge also gave Wilson the opportunity to clear his record of the convictions if he stayed out of trouble for five years.
