Police: 2 teens die in apparent taxi holdup bid

updated 2:51 a.m. ET April 9, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Two teenage girls who attempted to rob a cab driver, slashing his face with a box cutter, were thrown from the taxi and killed in a wreck on Tuesday, police said.

The 40-year-old driver was taken to a hospital and released after receiving treatment for minor injuries, including cuts to his neck and face, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer April Harding said. His name was not immediately released.

Two 17-year-old girls flagged down the cab at about 12:30 a.m. in eastern Los Angeles and asked to be taken to a nearby housing project, police said.

The girls were Alexous Ann Sandoval and Daisy Orozco, both Los Angeles residents, the coroner’s office said.

Gun brandished
When they pulled up, one girl said her boyfriend would come down to pay their fare. Instead, he approached the cab with a gun, Harding said.

The cab driver apparently sped away with the women still in the back seat.

“The cab driver got scared,” Harding said. “One of the females pulled out a box cutter and began cutting the taxi cab driver and that’s what caused him to crash.”

It appeared the cab driver believed he was being followed by a gunman, police said. Two men were detained and being questioned about the incident, Harding said.

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