RENO, NV - It looks like local taxi cab drivers are the latest victims of crime in our area. Police say a new trend involves robbery suspects using cabbies as their getaway cars.

Wednesday morning, police arrested 49-year-old Robert Van Wagenen after he allegedly robbed an East Fourth Street liquor store, and then fled in a taxi cab. Police say witnesses are key in catching these guys.

The owner of Nesa Food and Liquor says she's no stranger to robberies--her other store has been robbed four times. But what she says she's not used to, is taxi cabs acting as getaway cars.

Just after 8:30 Tuesday, Robert Van Wagenen allegedly pretended to buy beer, threatened to stab the owner's husband with a knife--and then robbed him.

The clerk tells us the suspect left with about $600.00 from the register. He then ran west on Fourth Street where a cab driver waited around the corner. Police say the cabbie probably never had a clue.

Lieutenant Mike Whan with the Reno Police Department says it's more common than you may think. On January 7th, he says a man named Joshua Taskey was arrested for allegedly robbing a Wells Fargo Bank, and escaping by taxi cab. Whan says cab drivers are often oblivious that they're helping commit a crime--and when it comes time for an arrest, the cabbies become victims as well.

"We don't know until we make the traffic stop. In this case, the cab driver got pulled out at gunpoint. He was cooperative. He told his side of the story, and he's used as a witness at this point," said Whan.

Whan says the drivers are often more worried about becoming victims themselves than they are about being accidental robbery accomplices. He says its important for witnesses to be observant if they see a cab near a crime scene.

"There are a lot of cabs out there so we need to know what kind of cab, what the cab number is. Was it yellow? Was it white with red letters? All that stuff is important to us," said Whan.

And that's exactly how police say they caught up with Van Wagenen at the Sands Casino. An observant citizen allegedly saw him get into a cab and speed away.

Police say they believe Wanwagenen could also be tied to at least one other recent robbery in our local area. Our calls to Reno-Sparks Cab Company were not immediately returned.