FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Texas man is facing some serious charges after, police said, he robbed a taxi cab driver with a fake gun while dropping him off in Hallandale Beach.
According to the victim, she had picked up the subject, later identified as 30-year-old John Cleveland, at the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon in West Miami-Dade, at around 2 a.m., Thursday.
Once they arrived at his destination in Hallandale Beach, the victim said, Cleveland put the fake gun to her head and demanded her cellphone and cash. He ran off with the phone and $70 in cash.
Hallandale Beach Police used the Find My Phone app to locate the woman’s phone. Officers found Cleveland taking a nap in a car he had broken into nearby.
Officials said Cleveland, a Houston resident, was only wearing a towel. He confessed to using a fake gun to commit the robbery.
The suspect appeared in court on Friday. He was charged with armed robbery, burglary of a vehicle, grand theft, and destroying or tampering evidence.
As of Saturday night, he remained at the Broward County Main Jail on a $57,000 bond.
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