Stroke of luck helps taxi operator catch driver who stole cab

A taxi driver who had stolen the cab he was renting was arrested on Sunday after he unwittingly picked up a passenger who turned out to be the owner.

The Valenzuela City police identified the suspect as Dexter Hermoso, 39, who was arrested after Jose Angelo Sta. Maria, the operator of Angel Jose taxi, convinced him to come with him to the police station to settle the matter amicably.

A police report said that Sta. Maria hired the suspect to drive his taxi on July 4 with the understanding that he would pay a boundary of P900 a day.

Suspect disappears

But after four days, Hermoso stopped communicating with the taxi operator, the report added.

Around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sta. Maria was walking on Sta. Maria Street in Tondo, Manila, when he saw his taxi cab headed his way.

He flagged it down and got in, surprising Hermoso who did not recognize him at first.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office director, told the Inquirer that Sta. Maria was able to convince the suspect to drive him to the Valenzuela City police station so that they could reach an amicable settlement.

The complainant is a resident of Valenzuela City.

At the police station, the case investigator decided that what happened was a citizen’s arrest, Eleazar added.

Sta. Maria later filed a complaint against Hermoso for violating the Anti-Carnapping Law of 2016.