Midtown robbery suspect tries to getaway in cab, gets caught in traffic

MIDTOWN (WABC) -- A robbery suspect tried to make a getaway in a taxicab only to get caught in Midtown Manhattan traffic.

That Cecil Richardson managed to evade police for almost two months could be a sign that it's just better to be lucky than good.

Friday though, his luck ran out when he tried to run from the cops in the back of a yellow cab.

"No you're not going to get very far. Is that what he did," said Rhonda Freeman, a commuter.

If only he had Freeman's commuter street smarts.

"He's an idiot," Freeman said.

Police credit Richardson, seen in a surveillance photo, with six robberies since April. They say he approached people in broad daylight in the heart of Midtown and in Central Park, claimed to have a gun, and made off with cash.

"This town will always have crime every big city will have crime. This city continues to be safe, but you need to keep your guard up to make sure you feel personally safe," said Craig Mento, a tourist.

"You always have to pay attention to your surroundings and what's going on. Always," Freeman said.

At 9:30 Friday morning, plain-clothed anti-crime officers were out looking for Richardson, when police say they watched him attack a seventh victim in front of the Hollister store at 53rd and Fifth.

They chased him west to Sixth Avenue, where he jumped into a yellow cab. And as it crawled past Rockefeller Plaza in gridlock, police caught up to it, on foot and he quickly surrendered.

"They didn't even have to run to catch the guy, he just hopped in the back of the cab," said Alina Benedetto, a tourist.

"They have this show called 'World's Dumbest Criminals', he should be on it," Freeman said.