Miami police looking for man who robbed, shot taxi driver

Miami police are looking for a man who robbed and shot a taxi driver outside an Allapattah gas station early Sunday.

Around 4:30 a.m., on his 40th birthday, Jose Manuel Peña-Baez walked out of a Caraf Oil gas station at 2810 NW 12th Ave. and encountered a man standing in front of the taxi holding a gun and demanding money.

The men tussled, and the robber managed to get away with some money. Before he fled, he shot the taxi driver in the leg. Witnesses called 911 after the shooting.

Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat said the driver underwent emergency surgery Sunday morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital and is in serious condition but expected to recover.

“It appears he’s going to pull out of this OK,” she said.

Fallat described the suspect as a man with a slender build who appears to be in his early 20s. He fled in an older model white Nissan, possibly a Maxima, with a getaway driver. The driver is described as a male in his 20s.

Detectives have several witnesses and surveillance video to aid their investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Miami Police Department’s Robbery Unit at 305-603-6370 or Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Miami police looking for man who robbed, shot taxi driver."