Fremont Man Convicted in Robbery of Taxi Driver in San Bruno

A Fremont man pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking part in the on a San Bruno street in August.

Just as the trial was beginning, Raj Singh, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in a San Mateo County courtroom, admitting to his role in the taxi robbery but saying he wasn’t one of the men who allegedly kidnapped the taxi driver and fled with his money after pulling a handgun on him.

If convicted of the kidnapping charge, Singh could have faced life in prison.

“Although he mainatained his innocence during the entire case, as he started with the trial, he felt that he did not want to risk spending the rest of his life in state prison,” said Eric Liberman, Singh’s attorney.

According to San Bruno police, the taxi driver contacted officers following the alleged armed robbery by two passengers at about 11:30pm on Aug. 31 after he had picked them up at the in Menlo Park.

The passengers, Rajinder Kumar and Balraj Singh, also of Fremont, then directed the driver to take them to Daly City, where on the way they had him stop at a Redwood City apartment complex, get back on the freeway and exit in Millbrae, and take surface streets to San Bruno where one of the men pulled a handgun on the driver on San Bruno Avenue West near Alpine Way, the district attorney’s office said.

The two men then reportedly robbed the driver of his wallet and cell phone before walking to another car where Raj Singh was waiting for them, the district attorney’s office said.

Police arrested all three men by following a trail of cell phone records.

Superior Court Judge Craig Parsons accepted Singh’s plea for the robbery, for which he faces up to three years in state prison. A sentencing hearing has been set for May 9, and Singh remains in San Mateo County Jail on $250,000 bail.

Balraj Singh is also in custody on $250,000 bail and is expected to face a trial in May while a warrant has been issued for Kumar, who failed to appear in court.