Cab drivers in St. Petersburg robbed by man who hit them with hammer, police say

St. Petersburg police say they have charged a man they say robbed three cab drivers last fall, two of whom he hit in the head with a hammer.

Drajan N. Polite, 21, of St. Petersburg, is charged with multiple counts of armed robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He had been in jail since October on a number of violation of probation and failing to appear charges related to previous burglary convictions.

Police said the first robbery occurred about 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 6 in the 1900 block of 16th Avenue S. They said he first struck a cab driver in the head with a hammer, then robbed him.

About two weeks later, on Sept. 19, he robbed another cab driver at about 2:50 a.m. in the 2500 block of 11th Avenue S. The driver in that case wasn’t injured.

Police said Polite struck again just after 3 a.m. on Oct. 3 in the 3400 block of 21st Avenue S. Polite struck the driver in the face with a hammer, knocking out teeth, police said.

Bail on the charges related to the robberies was set at $333,000 and Polite remained in jail on Wednesday.