Tampa police say cab driver Annuel Delicieux is lucky to be alive after an armed robber blasted him in the chest with a shotgun just before 3am Tuesday.
Delicieux, who had a passenger in his backseat threw money at the robber but the gunman shot him anyway. He's now recovering and in stable condition.
"We're very happy the driver is in stable condition and can appreciate this holiday season," said Tampa police spokeswoman Mercedes Machado.
Moments after the shooting, Delicieux crashed his Yellow Cab into a Tampa police squad car that happened to be patrolling about 100 yards away. Neither the officer nor Delicieux's passenger suffered injuries in that crash, but the officer was able to quickly call for help.
Police believe the robbery at the Tampa Public Housing on Chestnut St. was a crime of opportunity, but other cabbies say it has their full attention.
"Somebody attack a driver like this, it's dangerous business, I mean dangerous business", said Tampa cab driver Wondwsen Desta.
Police say they've assigned the robbery investigation a high priority and hope to arrest the robber before he shoots anyone else.
"We're working ever angle on this case,"said Machado.
