2 teens charged in cabbie stickup

Two baby-faced Bronx boys are looking at hard time for allegedly robbing a livery cab driver at gunpoint.

Malakai Bailey and Jordan Gonzalez, who are both 16, were charged as adults for pulling a pistol on the driver and taking his money in an early-morning incident in Midtown, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Thursday.

Prosecutors threw the book at the teens at their arraignments late Wednesday, charging both with 23 felony counts of robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and ammunition, menacing, and other related offenses.

If convicted on the top counts, they each face a maximum of 25 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney William Darling said that although neither of the teens has a criminal history, the serious nature of their alleged crimes warranted both being tried as adults.

“Here defendant Bailey and defendant Gonzalez entered the complaining witness’ cab where they stated to the complaining witness that they had a firearm, displayed said firearm to the complaining witness and demanded the complaining witness give them all of his money,” said Darling at their arraignment.

“After taking money from the complaining witness, the defendant then left the cab, where both were apprehended.”

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey released both over Darling’s request for $15,000 cash bail over a $45,000 bond.

At around 1:25 a.m. Wednesday, the teens got into the car of the 26-yearold Bengali livery cab driver at Third Ave. and E. 52nd St., pulled out a gun and demanded his cash after the driver refused to take them to the Bronx, prosecutors said.

In an interview with the Daily News, the victim, who wished to be identified only as Rakib, said the teens called for the cab about 10 minutes earlier and said they would pay in cash. When he arrived, he asked for the $32 fare upfront, and they said they didn’t have the money but that one of their mothers would pay at the end of the trip.

The teens tried to bargain him down to $10, Rakib said, and when he refused, out came the gun, the driver said.