Three Indicted for Attempted Murder in Violent Cab Robbery

Three people have been indicted on attempted murder charges for , according to authorities.

Breanna Pimienta, 18, of 2995 Chapel Avenue, Cherry Hill; Miguel Mercado, 23, of 2995 Chapel Avenue, Cherry Hill; and Mahadi M. Robinson, Jr., 21, of 220 South Lenola Road, Maple Shade, were indicted by a Burlington County grand jury on multiple charges, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi.

In addition to the first-degree attempted murder charges, the charges contained in the indictment include two counts of robbery, conspiracy, carjacking, use of a juvenile to commit a crime and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Mercado and Robinson are being held on $300,000 bail each, according to a release from the Prosecutor’s Office. Pimienta is being held on $250,000 bail. A fourth defendant, Giovanni Nieves, 18, of Cherry Hill, has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. His bail has been revoked. Robinson was indicted on an additional charge of terroristic threats for threatening to harm a corrections officer at the jail.

According to authorities, the defendants were all at Pimienta’s and Mercado’s Cherry Hill residence on January 30 when they called Five Star Cab Service. They told the driver to take them to Mount Laurel.

When they arrived at Forrest Court around 3 a.m., Robinson put the driver in a choke hold and the attack began, authorities said. At one point, the driver suffered a severe laceration to his neck. He escaped the car and fled to a nearby home to seek help. Mercado then got into the driver’s seat and drove a short distance before crashing into a tree.

The robbery yielded $40 for the defendants, authorities said.

The victim was taken by helicopter to Cooper Medical Center in Camden and underwent surgery for the laceration. Robinson and the juvenile were picked up by a Mount Laurel patrol unit that responded to the crime scene. Pimienta and Mercado were arrested at their residence the following day by the Cherry Hill Police Department’s Tactical Response Team.

The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Mount Laurel Police Department, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Unit, and the Willingboro Township Police Department’s K-9 Unit.

Information provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.