CHICAGO – Prosecutors have charged a convicted felon with firing a shotgun twice during an hours-long ordeal with a taxi driver he ultimately refused to pay.
Judge Shauna Boliker arrested Ibrahim Mazgaldzhiev, 33, after prosecutors outlined their charges against him, saying he was already in pre-trial detention for another case.
It all started around 11 a.m. on Aug. 29 when the 26-year-old cab driver received a pickup request at Mazgaldzhiev’s home in the 7500 block of West Bryn Mawr, according to a Chicago police report.
According to the report, the taxi driver took Mazgaldzhiev to his destination in the 600 block of North Milwaukee and agreed to wait and give him a ride home.
Upon their return to the Northwest Side, Mazgaldzhiev allegedly pulled a shotgun from the trunk of the taxi and fired it into the air. He then got back into the cab with the gun and ordered the driver to take him back to the Milwaukee Avenue location, the police report said.
When the taxi driver told him that he did not want to continue driving Mazgaldzhiev around with a shotgun, Mazgaldzhiev allegedly punched him in the face. Out of fear, the police report said, the taxi driver complied with Mazgaldzhiev’s demands.
He took Mazgaldzhiev back to the Milwaukee Avenue address and then drove him home. Again, Mazgaldzhiev got out of the taxi, fired the shotgun into the air and then got back into the taxi, the report said.
This time Mazgaldzhiev ordered the taxi driver to take him to a nearby Ford Expedition. The cab driver was seen putting the firearm in the SUV before Mazgaldzhiev returned to the cab and told him to drive to a bar in the 4000 block of West Lawrence, the report said.
Hours after it all started, Mazgaldzhiev reportedly walked into the bar without paying the $311 fare he earned on the taxi meter.
The taxi driver called 911 around 7 p.m. While explaining the situation to police, Mazgaldzhiev stepped out of the bar and officers arrested him. According to the report, CPD officers recovered a shotgun that was in plain view in the Ford Expedition. It reportedly contained a spent shotgun shell and an unspent cartridge.
Prosecutors charged Mazgaldzhiev with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, reckless discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor charges of resisting, battery and theft of services.
Judge Boliker noted in Mazgaldzhiev’s detention order that he was in pre-trial detention for a pending aggravated battery case. That case involves a security guard who was allegedly assaulted at a Rosemont hotel. Her order also stated that he is a four-time convicted felon.
You can contact CWBChicago and submit anonymous tips by email: news@cwbchicago.com
