What to Know
- Two men attacked, robbed and carjacked a 40-year-old Lyft Driver in West Philadelphia over the weekend, police said.
- The driver told NBC10 he had completed his 1,000th ride as a Lyft driver and was resting when the two men approached him.
- Police released surveillance video of the incident.
What should have been a day of celebration turned to one of terror for a Lyft driver who was pistol whipped, robbed and carjacked in West Philadelphia on Saturday.
Anthony Broxton told NBC10 he was resting in his car on the side of the road near a church on 59th and Delancey streets around 5 a.m. The 40-year-old father had just completed his 1,000th ride as a Lyft driver. Suddenly two men approached him. One of them pulled out a gun and ordered Broxton out of his car, police said.
“Trying to get me out of the car,” Broxton said. “And he was like, ‘Yo, shoot him. Shoot him.’”
Broxton tried to keep calm as he stared down the barrel of a gun. One of the men then pistol whipped him. Broxton told NBC10 the other suspect urged the gunman to take his life.
“It’s like he was giving him instructions on how to carjack somebody,” Broxton said. “Pretty much that’s what it seemed like.”
Broxton knelt to the ground as the two men went through his pockets, snatching his wallet and cellphone. They then jumped into Broxton’s car and fled south on 59th Street. The other car that had initially dropped the men off also fled in the same direction.
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“My shirt was covered in blood,” Broxton said. “My hand and arm were covered in blood.”
Broxton was taken to the hospital and received stitches for the cut to his forehead.
Surveillance video released by police showed the attack was well-orchestrated, with another car pulling up and letting the suspects out moments before the robbery.
“I’m more mad at myself,” Broxton said. “I know better than this. I know to keep my doors locked.”
Police found Broxton’s stolen car two days later. But the suspects remain on the loose.
One of the suspects is described as a clean shaven man wearing a black hat and black t-shirt. The second suspect is described as a man with braids or dreadlocks with light-colored tips wearing a white tank top and armed with a handgun.
If you see the suspects or have any information on them or the crime, do not approach them. Instead call 911 or the Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184. You can also submit a tip by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477) or texting PPD TIP or 773847.
