A man tricked a cab driver into getting out of his vehicle and then stole it Sunday morning, only to crash it a short time later, police said.
The suspect, whose name hasn't been disclosed by police, flagged down the taxi at about 7:40 a.m. in Manhattan's Lower East Side. After being taken a few blocks, the man asked the driver to pull over.
The suspect got out of the cab and then told the driver that he had a flat tire. When the driver got out to look at the tire, the suspect hopped in and drove away, police said.
About a half-hour after the cabbie called 911 to report the theft, his cab struck a Lexus at the intersection of Chambers and West streets.
Two people were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center. Information about their injuries wasn't available.
Police took the accused cab-thief into custody and charges are pending, investigators said.
