Teen accused of armed robbery of a Bradenton taxi driver

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Bradenton Police Department is investigating the armed robbery of a taxi driver.

The backstory:

On Thursday afternoon, shortly before 2 p.m., a Taxi Caribe driver called 911 to say he was robbed at gunpoint in the 500 block of Martin Luther King Avenue West in Bradenton.

The victim told police he received a WhatsApp notification for a ride for "Bob" with a pickup location in Palmetto.

"Bob" asked the driver to drop him off at the address mentioned above. The victim told police that he had given "Bob" rides to and from those locations several times in the past three months.

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The victim said when the suspect paid for the ride in cash, he asked for change. The driver said when he opened a compartment where he kept cash, "Bob" pointed a gun at him, demanded money and then took off.

Detectives researched the Palmetto address and found a previous case involving Tremaine Brooks, 16.

Brooks matched the taxi driver's description of "Bob."

The victim was presented with a photo lineup and identified Brooks as "Bob."

What's next:

Brooks was arrested Thursday evening. He is charged with:

• Armed robbery with a firearm
• Juvenile in possession of a firearm - subsequent offense
• Violation of probation
• Violation of a risk protection order

The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Bradenton Police Department.

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