South Bay : Cabdriver Holdups Plummet, Police Say

A band of robbers that had been targeting Los Angeles International Airport cabdrivers appears to have dropped off the radar screen two weeks after authorities began alerting cabbies to a possible crime spree, police said Tuesday.

There have been no reported holdups of LAX-based cabbies since Jan. 3, when airport police began circulating fliers among scores of drivers concerning the thefts, Sgt. Gary Evans said.

In December, at least 10 cabdrivers had been the targets of armed robberies, and in many cases carjackings, after picking up fares at the airport’s south bank of terminals.

One fare, and in some cases two, would ask to be taken to cities just east of the airport where the assailant or assailants used a variety of weapons to take cash, personal belongings and frequently the cabs. Weapons used in the thefts included handguns, knives and threats of violence.