Police arrest 19-year-old after Vienna taxi robbery

Police arrested a 19-year-old man on Monday evening after a taxi robbery in Vienna’s Floridsdorf district during the night before Sunday, ORF reported. He allegedly struck the driver, threatened him with what appeared to be a firearm and took his wallet.

The 67-year-old taxi driver had picked up the suspect and an accomplice in Vienna’s Brigittenau district. They directed him to Oswald-Redlich-Straße in Floridsdorf, where the second suspect fled before the robbery began.

The driver reported the attack at about 2 a.m. at a Floridsdorf police station with a bleeding head wound. Emergency medical personnel treated him before taking him to hospital.

The arrest was carried out with the assistance of the Cobra special police unit, police spokesperson Julia Schick said. It followed detailed investigations by the Northern Branch of the Vienna State Criminal Police Office.

Schick did not provide further details on Wednesday so as not to jeopardise the search for the accomplice. The 19-year-old refused to give evidence and was taken to a correctional facility on the order of the public prosecutor’s office.