Man, 19, charged with murder of Tacoma taxi driver
TACOMA, Wash. -- Authorities have charged a 19-year-old man with murder in the deadly shooting of a taxi driver in Tacoma.
Eddie Hogan pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned Monday in Pierce County Superior Court. His bail was set at $1.5 million.
Robert Crall was found shot in the chest on the sidewalk outside his cab Thursday morning.
A neighbor on Friday said she held Tacoma taxi driver 'Big Dave' Crall's hand and tried to comfort him as he lay dying from a gunshot wound.
"I still think about it," Lewis said. "I remember his eyes, just looking at him, his eyes were glossy. I could see the tears, you know, his eyes were all teary.
"I just want his family to know that somebody was there. I tried. I tried to let him know somebody was there to help, to let him know he wasn’t alone," Lewis said.
Hogan was identified from photos taken by a camera mounted in Crall's cab.
According to charging documents, Hogan initially claimed he shot Crall in self-defense. When detectives confronted him with a photograph allegedly showing him in the cab with a bandana pulled up over his face, Hogan allegedly told police he planned to rob Crall.
Police say Hogan is suspected in other recent robberies.