Two suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal beating of a New York City taxi driver in Queens, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Kutin Gyimah, 52, of the Bronx, was completing a drive for five passengers in a New York City yellow taxi mini-van at approximately 6:25 a.m. near Beach 54 Street and Arverne Boulevard in Queen’s Rockaway neighborhood when the passengers allegedly did not pay their fare for the ride and took off.
After Gyimah chased the suspects down the street, graphic footage released by the NYPD shows four of the suspects surrounding the taxi driver, hitting and kicking the victim as he was on the ground.
Three of the suspects were seen leaving Gyimah as he got back on his feet, but one suspect then approached the taxi driver and proceeded to knock the victim out cold with a punch to the head.
The footage then showed all five suspects leaving the scene and entering a building.
All five suspects. (NYPD)
When authorities arrived, the victim was lying on the pavement with head trauma to the back of his head, police stated.
Gyimah was rushed to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Queens by EMS but was later pronounced deceased.
Two 20-year-old male suspects from Queens were arrested and charged as of Thursday, according to authorities. Austin Amos and Nikolas Porters both face charges of gang assault and theft of services, while Amos faces additional charges of manslaughter and assault.
Amos, who turned himself in on Wednesday night, has previously been arrested for “robbery, criminal mischief, criminal contempt and sexual misconduct,” according to the Daily Mail.
Austin Amos, 20. (NYPD)
Police are still searching for three other wanted female suspects — all believed to be teenagers — in connection to the victim’s death.
Gyimah’s death has left his family and New York City’s Ghanian community devastated.
“I don’t know what to do right now. I have lost. I have lost,” Gyimah’s wife, Abigail Barwuah, told CBS New York. “He was a good, good man. He was my backbone. I’m lost right now. My children’s hero.”
Gyimah, who is described as a devout Christian, leaves behind a wife and four children, ages three to eight.
A GoFundMe page has been organized for the taxi driver’s family, which has received over $150,000 as of Thursday night.
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is offering a $15,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspects.
Overall crime in Democrat-run New York City has spiked 38.6 percent from this time last year, although murder has decreased by 8.1 percent.
Rising crime is making residents of the Big Apple concerned about their safety, as a recent poll found that 76 percent fear they could be the victim of a violent crime.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
