Man Gets 20 Years for Armed Taxi Robberies

A Roosevelt man will serve time in prison for robbing three taxi drivers and shooting one of them in 2013, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Ezekiel Pittman, 21, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years behind bars, the DA said. Pittman pleaded guilty in April to two counts of first degree robbery, first degree assault, first-degree attempted robbery, and first-degree attempted assault before Acting Supreme Court Justice Helene Gugerty, officials said.

Pittman admitted to robbing three cab drivers at gunpoint in Hempstead and Roosevelt in August 2013, the DA said.

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After entering the backseat of each cab, Pittman would reveal he had a gun and demand cash from the driver, officials said.

Pittman was nervous during the first holdup, which took place on Winthrop Street in Hempstead at 1:45 a.m. Aug. 2, and fled without any proceeds, the DA said.

At 2:22 p.m. the next day, Pittman held up a cab on Willet Place in Roosevelt, officials said. As the driver reached into his pocket, Pittman “became impatient” and struck the driver in the left eye with the gun, the DA said. He reportedly made off with $200 in the robbery.

Pittman held up his final cab on Aug. 10 at 7:30 p.m. on W. Roosevelt Avenue in Roosevelt, officials said. The driver threw $20 at him, but Pittman demanded more cash and shot the driver, the DA said. The victim was released from the hospital the next day but the bullet still remains inside his body.

Pittman also pleaded guilty to an August 2013 shooting in Hempstead, officials said. After asking for change and marijuana, Pittman shot a man, who suffered kidney and lung injuries, the DA said. The victim survived but had to have surgery months later to remove the bullet, which was lodged near his spine, officials said.

“This defendant wreaked havoc on the communities of Hempstead and Roosevelt, robbing or shooting multiple victims in a one-man, one-week crime wave,” Acting DA Madeline Singas said in a statement Tuesday. “Thanks to the hard work and persistence of Nassau police and prosecutors, he’ll spend many years behind bars paying for these crimes.”

Photo via NCPD

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