Police on the lookout for rogue cab driver
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UPDATE: According to Chris Van Dyke of Yellow Cab, the stolen cab was found Monday night in a Burien parking lot. The dispatch radio was stolen and a security camera and computer were damaged, but the car is operable.
SEATTLE -- The Yellow Cab company is warning customers about a potential rogue cabbie on the streets who could be collecting fares in a stolen rig, and the car's rightful owner is pleading for help from the public.
There are more than 1,000 Yellow Cabs cruising through Sea-Tac Airport on any given day, and Chris Van Dyke oversees them all.
Van Dyke is now on the hunt for a car stolen from one of his drivers.
"If you see a Yellow Cab clearly marked 803, please give the police a call," Van Dyke said.
On Saturday morning at around 3 a.m., Teklu Alemu parked his cab, a 2008 Prius, in front of his home. Normally, his brother comes by to pick up the cab for his own shift at around 5 a.m. Sometime in those two hours, Alemu said the cab was stolen.
The cab was equipped with a GPS tracking device, but it was deactivated.
"Somebody had to know something about how these units operate to know to pull it out, so that worries us," Van Dyke said.
Now the worry is that the thief could actually be picking up customers.
"We don't want that to happen," Van Dyke said. "Yellow Cabs are safe to get into."
Now Alemu and his fellow drivers are on the lookout for car number 803. In the meantime, no car means no work, which means Alemu and his brother have no way of supporting the 10 family members they're responsible for.
Alemu also said he doesn't have full insurance.
"We will be out of work for 20 days, maybe more," he said.
Van Dyke hopes a customer spots the cab and calls the police.
"Yellow Cab 803, if its out there on the street right now, its operating illegally and we want to get our hands on that cab," he said.
SEATTLE -- The Yellow Cab company is warning customers about a potential rogue cabbie on the streets who could be collecting fares in a stolen rig, and the car's rightful owner is pleading for help from the public.
There are more than 1,000 Yellow Cabs cruising through Sea-Tac Airport on any given day, and Chris Van Dyke oversees them all.
Van Dyke is now on the hunt for a car stolen from one of his drivers.
"If you see a Yellow Cab clearly marked 803, please give the police a call," Van Dyke said.
On Saturday morning at around 3 a.m., Teklu Alemu parked his cab, a 2008 Prius, in front of his home. Normally, his brother comes by to pick up the cab for his own shift at around 5 a.m. Sometime in those two hours, Alemu said the cab was stolen.
The cab was equipped with a GPS tracking device, but it was deactivated.
"Somebody had to know something about how these units operate to know to pull it out, so that worries us," Van Dyke said.
Now the worry is that the thief could actually be picking up customers.
"We don't want that to happen," Van Dyke said. "Yellow Cabs are safe to get into."
Now Alemu and his fellow drivers are on the lookout for car number 803. In the meantime, no car means no work, which means Alemu and his brother have no way of supporting the 10 family members they're responsible for.
Alemu also said he doesn't have full insurance.
"We will be out of work for 20 days, maybe more," he said.
Van Dyke hopes a customer spots the cab and calls the police.
"Yellow Cab 803, if its out there on the street right now, its operating illegally and we want to get our hands on that cab," he said.
