Cab driver beaten, robbed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Willie Cross has been driving a cab for 20 years in Charlotte, but the fare he picked up Wednesday night left him in intensive care.

Police say he was beaten, robbed, and his cab was stolen. Now the focus turns to the person or people who did this.

Cross is in intensive care at Carolinas Medical Center and his family is with him.

Cross has been in the cab business for more than 20 years, all of it with Universal.

“Willie is Willie,” said friend and co-worker Cheryl Robinson. “He’s a really nice guy.”

Police say around midnight Cross picked up two passengers and they severely beat him and stole $35. The suspects then took his cab.

“I was in shock” said Robinson. “When you think about it you’re closer to some drivers than others and with Willie, you just wouldn’t think that would happen to him. He’s so organized.”

Police continue to look for the two men. They found the cab a short distance away. Despite his 20 years in the business, this is the first time Cross has been hurt in a robbery.

“You always think about it in the back of your head because there’s such a danger in driving,” said Robinson. “You hope it doesn’t happen.”

The men who beat Cross claimed to have a gun, but we don’t know if they showed it or not. Police continue to look for the suspects, but right now they don’t have much of a suspect description to work on.