SACO, Maine — Two men are facing charges after an alleged assault of a Saco taxi driver early Tuesday morning, according to police.
Lance Palmer, 45, of Auburn, and Travis Donahue, 42, of Old Orchard Beach, are accused of attacking and robbing the driver after they reached their destination.
At 2:11 a.m. Tuesday, a Twin City Taxi dispatcher called police after a driver had been attacked, according to Saco Deputy Chief Jeffrey Holland.
The men had requested that the cab driver taken them from Old Orchard Beach to the Brookside Inn on Ocean Park Road, Holland said.
The driver had radioed to dispatch to contact police after the men allegedly attacked him and demanded his fare earnings, according to Holland.
Words had also been exchanged between the driver and the men over a female acquaintance, resulting in punches and kicks to the driver’s upper body and head as he attempted to collect a $10 fare, Holland said. The driver suffered a large cut above his right eye among other injuries not considered life threatening.
The men got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and entered two different motel rooms, according to Holland, but police interviewed several witnesses at the scene and were able to take Palmer and Donahue into custody.
Palmer and Donahue were charged with aggravated assault and robbery and taken to the York County Jail, where bail was set at $10,000, Holland said. The cab driver was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford for treatment.
