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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who police say robbed or attempted to rob six cab drivers in three hours was arrested over the weekend.
Travis Mohanna Patt, 25, of Saratoga Springs, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of six counts of aggravated robbery.
For a couple of hours Friday night into Saturday morning, Patt followed cab drivers in his white Mercedes, waited for the cabbies to stop to pick up their fares, and then robbed them at gunpoint, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden.
The first robbery happened just after 10:30 p.m. Friday near 320 S. West Temple. Four more robberies or robbery attempts happened in the next 90 minutes, Heiden said. In one incident, the suspect was dragged a short distance while hanging onto the door handle of a cab trying to get away.
The final attempt happened about 1:20 a.m. Saturday, also near 300 South and West Temple. In that case, the cabbie drove off without giving up any money, Heiden said.
About 20 minutes after that incident, police, who by now were scouring the area, spotted a Mercedes that appeared to be following a cab driver, Heiden said. The Mercedes was pulled over for a routine traffic violation, and Patt was arrested after police say a search of his vehicle produced a gun and money.
Patt was also arrested in September and later charged with shoplifting. A warrant was issued for his arrest in September for missing his last court date.
