Stiffed Cabbie Leads Cops to Suspected Armed Robber

CLEARWATER, FL — A Clearwater cab driver stiffed by an early Wednesday morning fare inadvertently led police to a man wanted in connection with a Tuesday night armed robbery at a local Subway.

According to the Clearwater Police Department, its officers received a call from the cabbie shortly after midnight Dec. 7. When they responded to the cabbie’s complaint, the man who stiffed him had taken off. Officers, with some help from K9 units, began looking for the man who allegedly ripped off the cabbie.

Unluckily for the suspect, it didn’t take one of the agency’s K9s long to track the man to the location where he was hiding out in the 700 block of Bayview.

Officers who captured the accused cab fare stiffer happened to notice he matched the description of an armed robbery suspect who knocked over the 2790 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. Subway only about two hours before. In that case, the robber entered the store around 10:07 p.m., ordered and received a sandwich. Once at the register, the man implied he had a gun and proceeded to rob the employee, the email said.

After getting cash, the man took off from the store. Police searched for the suspect, but didn't locate him until the cab driver called for help, the agency said.

Matthew Augustus Kelly, 40, now faces armed robbery charges. He was being held in the Pinellas County Jail Wednesday in lieu of $150,000 bond. Jail records indicate he was also arrested on Dec. 3 on a simple battery charge.

No further information about the arrest is available at this time.

Booking photo courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department