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A teenage girl is the third person to be arrested for the brutal killing of a New York City cab driver, as the NYPD continues to hunt for two others.
The 15-year-old, who was arrested on Friday has not been identified due to her age, is accused of being a part of a gang of five that viciously punched and kicked 52-year-old Kutin Gyimah to death in Queens on Saturday after he chased them when they refused to pay their fare.
She has been charged with gang assault and theft.
On Thursday, cops arrested two other thugs for their role in the father-of-four’s death.
Austin Amos, 20, was perp walked at the NYPD’s 101st Precinct and faces a manslaughter charge. Nickolas Porter, also 20, faces gang assault and theft charges over the attack while cops issued a plea for information on three women also involved in the grisly killing.
Horrific footage of the attack showed Gyimah fall backwards and smash his head on the ground after being smacked in the face.
The five suspects were caught on security cameras strolling away from the scene sickeningly smiling to themselves as they left the cab driver sprawled on the ground.
The victim suffered severe head trauma during the violent exchange and later succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital.
One of two men charged in connection with the death of a New York city taxi driver is seen being walked out of the 101st precinct on Thursday. On Friday, a 15-year-old girl was arrested for her involvement in the attack
The second of two suspects is seen being marched out of the NYPD’s 101st Precinct
Three teenage girls are seen in surveillance footage smiling at they walked away from the attack. One of them has been arrested, and cops are hunting for the two others
A gang of five viciously punched and kicked 52-year-old Kutin Gyimah to death in Queens on Saturday after he chased them when they refused to pay their fare
Amos and Porter turned themselves in at the 101st Precinct on Wednesday night after a plea for information was put out by the NYPD.
Police identified Austin Amos, 20, of Queens, as one of the suspects wanted in connection with Gyimah’s murder. He is now in custody, along with another 20-year-old man. Three teenage girls aged between 13 and 16 are also wanted by police
Amos faces several charges, including manslaughter, gang assault and theft. He also has six prior arrests, including for robbery, criminal mischief, criminal contempt and sexual misconduct.
The 20-year-old was accompanied by his mother when he handed himself into cops at the precinct on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile Porter faces gang assault and theft charges. Investigators are still looking for the three other teen girls, through to be aged 13, 15, and 16, involved.
The newly released video shows Gyimah being attacked by five passengers who investigators said refused to pay their fare and tried to rob him in Far Rockaway early on Saturday morning.
The footage shows how each of the five appeared to take turns striking the man who was powerless to defend himself.
He was seen raising his arms to protect himself from the brutal ambush near Beach 54th Street and Arverne Boulevard, as the group continued their onslaught.
When Gyimah was able to get back his feet, one of the men whacked him in the head, sending him flying to the ground.
The five suspects then fled the scene, leaving Gyimah, who suffered a fatal head injury, lying on the sidewalk motionless.
Following the attack the suspects could all be seen smiling on camera as they walked away and headed inside a residential building.
The two 20-year-old suspects turned themselves in on Wednesday night to the police
One of the men was placed into a waiting patrol car outside the 101st Precinct on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens
A suspect was walked to a waiting police car with his hands in cuffs
One of the suspects is seen walking out of the NYPD’s car
One of the two male suspects that had been arrested is seen being placed into a patrol car
Gyimah had fallen to the ground and hit his head, causing severe head trauma. He was rushed to St. John’s Hospital, where he later died.
New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers had offered a $15,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest following the ordeal.
Gyimah’s wife Abigail Barwuah said she was ‘lost without him’ and that he had left behind four children aged eight, seven, five and three.
She told CBS2: ‘I don’t know what to do right now. I have lost. I have lost. He was a good, good man. He was my backbone. I’m lost right now. My children’s hero.
‘He was everything we had. He was my children’s hero. He was my backbone. He was the one I look up to. I look up to God, but aside [from] God, he was the only one I looked up to.’
Video shows five youths including three teenage girls surrounding father-of-four Kutin Gyimah, 52, before they began punching and kicking him
The two men who were allegedly involved have been arrested by the NYPD. The remaining three girls are now being hunted
The driver, seen in red, was completely powerless to defend himself during the attack
One male suspect is seen delivering a fatal blow to his head that sent Gyimah to the ground
Surveillance footage sees the suspects laughing and smiling amongst themselves
The five suspects run away from the scene, leaving Gyimah, who suffered a fatal head injury, lying on the sidewalk motionless
A GoFundMe page has been launched for her and her children and more than $109,600 had been raised as of Thursday night.
The money will be used to fund his funeral but also support the family’s living expenses and the children’s education.
One of Gyimah’s colleagues wrote on the page: ‘He was one of our cab drivers who worked honestly and tirelessly to support his family.
‘All through the worst days of the pandemic he was one of the few who still drove a cab continuously to provide support for our city and its citizens. Please help honor him, his work and help his family.’
They added on the page: ‘He was a husband and a father of 4 children ages 8, 7, 5 and 3. He will not be coming home anymore.’
It comes as yellow taxi drivers in New York are facing the burden of debt and bankruptcy after investing in taxi medallions – but fail to make substantial profits worth the price of their license certificate.
Thousands of drivers are on the brink of financial ruin, with the average debt owed on medallions by taxi drivers reaching $600,000, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
The overwhelming demand for other app-based services like Uber, Lyft and Via in the capital city have also put pressure on yellow taxi drivers, driving up competition.
Some of the teenage girls were pictured walking into a nearby apartment building
The three teen girls should be relatively easy to identify given their distinct hair colorings
Video shows the suspects later walking up the stairs of an apartment block.
Video shows the suspects later walking along a corridor of an apartment block