Two teenage girls have been arrested in connection with the deadly assault on a New York taxi driver while another 16-year-old girl remains at large, police said.
The arrests of the 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls raised the total number of suspects apprehended in the case to four - more than two weeks after the brutal attack on 52-year-old taxi driver Kutin Gyimah.
On 13 August, Gyimah picked up a group of five people near the Rockaway Beach neighbourhood in Queens at around 6.20am in what would be his first and last trip of the day.
Surveillance footage appeared to show the group jumping out of the cab without paying their fare, prompting the father-of-four to chase after them on the street before getting knocked down.
Gyimah attempted to grab one of the fare-evaders but was punched to the ground by one of the two men and was then swiftly swarmed by the other four, the footage showed.
After the initial blow to the head, Gyimah fell to the ground and hit the back of his head on the pavement, causing him to suffer severe head trauma. When he was found lying on the pavement, first responders discovered that he’d cracked his skull and lost consciousness.
He was later declared dead at St John’s Hospital.
On 18 August, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell issued a statement confirming that the department had arrested two 20-year-old men, later identified as Austin Amos and Nickolas Porter.
The pair, who turned themselves in to the 101st Precinct, are both charged with gang assault and theft charges over the killing, while Amos was given the additional charge of manslaughter.
The 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls have been charged with gang assault and theft of service charges, while a third girl, said to be 16 years old, remains at large.
A GoFundMe established for the father of four, who were aged 3, 5, 7 and 8 years old, described the taxicab driver as a man “who worked honestly and tirelessly to support his family”.
“All through the worst days of the pandemic he was one of the few who still drove a cab continuously to provide support for our city and its citizens,” fellow cab driver Spyros Drakos and organiser of the online fundraiser wrote.
“He will not be coming home anymore.”
In a press conference last week, the widow of Gyimah pleaded with the suspects who remained at large to turn themselves in.
“I’m telling them to turn themselves in because you’re going to be caught,” said Abigail Barwuah. “I need justice for my husband because he doesn’t deserve to die this way.”
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers has offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
