Taxi driver Kutin Gyimah dies after being hit in head by passengers accused of trying to rob him in Queens

NEW YORK — A New York City taxi driver died Saturday after chasing passengers accused of trying to rob him.

As CBS2’s Alecia Reid reports, a $15,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to an arrest.

Police say 52-year-old Kutin Gyimah brought five passengers, three males and two females, to their Far Rockaway destination around 6:30 a.m. It was there, at Beach 54th Street and Arverne Boulevard, where the suspects allegedly tried to rob him.  

Witnesses say Gyimah tried chasing the passengers when he was hit in the back of the head by at least one of the suspects. The taxi driver fell to the ground, hit his head and lost consciousness.

He was found lying in the street with a traumatic head injury. Emergency services rushed him to St. John’s Hospital, where he later died.

Neighbors in the victim’s Bronx neighborhood described Gyimah as a hardworking man who did whatever he needed to do in order to provide for his family.

Funeral expenses are being covered by his employer, the Big Apple Taxi Fleet Management.

Meanwhile, the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. They and other yellow cab drivers will be joined by Gyimah’s family at the Big Apple Taxi Fleet in Queens at 10 a.m. Sunday.

As the investigation continues, the family is pleading for justice.