Taxi stolen by passenger at northern Minnesota gas station

(FOX 9) - A taxi driver had his vehicle stolen by a passenger while he went to the restroom inside a gas station in northern Minnesota Tuesday evening.

According to the Fosston Police Department, at around 6:51 p.m., police were dispatched to Lepier’s East gas station to take a report from a Doyle Taxi Cab driver who had reportedly gone to use the restroom and came back outside to discover his taxi had been stolen. 

Responding police learned the person who stole the van had been a passenger in the taxi at the time, and the taxi was giving the passenger a ride from Essentia Health-Fargo to Cass Lake, Minnesota.

However, according to police, the taxi was equipped with an active GPS and an active camera system, which gave live updates on where the vehicle was located. 

Officers from the Bemidji Police Department safely stopped the stolen taxi in the Bemidji area and apprehend the suspect, a 34-year-old from Cass Lake. 

The suspect is currently in custody with theft charges pending, according to police.