UPDATE: Police arrested three suspects in the death of a New York City taxi driver on Thursday, as the search for two other suspects continued. Read more here.
QUEENS (PIX11) — Two suspects were arrested in the fatal beating of a taxi driver in Edgemere, authorities said Thursday morning.
Police arrested Austin Amos and Nickolas Porter, both 20, in connection with the deadly assault on Kutin Gyimah. Amos was charged with manslaughter, gang assault, assault and theft of services. Porter was charged with gang assault and theft of services.
Gyimah, 52, drove multiple passengers to Beach 54th Street and Arverne Boulevard around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, police previously said. But the group jumped out of Gyimah’s cab without paying, according to the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers.
When Gyimah chased down the group on foot, they surrounded him and began punching and kicking him, surveillance video released by the NYPD shows. As Gyimah rose to his feet after an initial series of blows, one assailant punched him in the face, the footage shows. He collapsed to the ground and suffered a fatal head injury, according to officials.
Police said there were five suspects in the case. The NYPD said Wednesday that they were also seeking two girls believed to be between 13 and 15 and a third girl believed to be about 16.
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers has offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Gyimah, of the Bronx, leaves behind four young children and a heartbroken widow, who mourned her husband in an interview with PIX11 earlier this week.
“We’ve lost a treasure,” said widow Abigail Barwuah. “I have lost my hero, my backbone.”
