The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said a longtime Radio Cab driver was stabbed to death after picking up a passenger in Southeast Portland on Sunday night, 8 April 2023.
PPB said Moses Lopez, 30, was taken into custody and booked into the Multnomah County jail. He is being charged with second-degree murder and using a weapon illegally.
Radio CabΒ released a statementΒ early Monday morning on social media, saying the driver was stabbed to death by a passenger while working an Easter Sunday shift.
PPB said that the victim’s name wouldn’t be released until they have been positively identified, a medical examiner has confirmed the cause of death, and the family has been told.
At 6:40 p.m. on Sunday, police were called to the corner of Southeast Washington Street and Water Avenue because someone had been stabbed. When they got there, they found the victim dead.
Radio Cab didn’t say who the driver was, but they did say the following about him:
“He was a kind and dedicated cab operator. He had been driving over a decade and never had a complaint. He cared about Portland and loved this city and especially loved helping people get from one place to another.
He was a model driver and an exemplary example of the people who kept Radio Cab a vibrant and desired workplace.”
“I think everyone is still reeling and trying to process what happened,” said Darin Campbell, a former cab driver now director of marketing at Radio Cab.
“I think drivers will be far more aware of who’s in their backseat and what’s going on because this came out of nowhere. It was completely unprovoked; he never saw it coming.”
Campbell said that the security camera in the taxi caught the horrible attack on camera.
Campbell said, “It didn’t leave anything out.” “Even though it was hard to watch, it is amazing proof.”
After hearing the news, other Radio Cab drivers are on edge.
“It’s getting rougher and rougher out there, driving around,” said Justin Byington, a Radio Cab driver since 2014. “It’s always surprising, but it’s not unheard of. It has been a long time since thing kind of thing has happened to this extent, though, where someone passes away.”
Radio Cab said in a news release that the driver’s death shows that Portland needs serious help.
Campbell said that the victim had just found his biological parents and planned to meet them for the first time.
“While our company is in mourning, trying to make sense of this difficult loss, we ask our city leaders to do more to allow police to enforce laws, bolster the Portland Police Bureau resources and focus on the health of our citizens,” the company said.
Police arrested a suspect and charged him with second-degree murder.
Source- Oregon Public Broadcasting Department
