Charges over taxi cash spree

A passenger threatened a Doveton taxi driver with a fake gun, police allege.
Greater Dandenong CIU Detective Senior Constable Tony Lavars said a 19-year-old Noble Park North man got into the cab about 8pm on Tuesday 10 April.
He allegedly produced an imitation firearm once inside and demanded the driver, 40, hand over money.
Det Sen Const Lavars said the passenger allegedly forced the driver to stop at several ATMs to withdraw money.
The carjacker got out of the taxi at a Noble Park service station, where he appeared on CCTV footage.
The driver ran from the car and the passenger allegedly got behind the wheel, drove to Ross Street, Dandenong, and dumped the taxi.
Police attended his home address a short time later and arrested him a short distance away following a foot chase.
Det Sen Const Lavars said officers charged the man with armed robbery, obtaining property by deception, theft of a motor vehicle, possessing a drug of dependence and possessing an imitation firearm.
The driver was not injured and the car was recovered “in one piece”.
The passenger will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court at a later date.