Cabby’s smokes swiped

Early Monday morning, June 10, a driver from Chico Cab Co. called the Chico Police Department to report he’d been robbed.

According to a CPD press release, 29-year-old Eugene Kaspari was getting dropped off at about 2:30 a.m. on the 1100 block of East Ninth Street when he allegedly tried to take cash from the cab driver after pepper-spraying him. Kaspari didn’t get the cash but reportedly did make off with the cabby’s cigarettes, fleeing on foot to a nearby apartment complex.

Officers responded and were able to identify Kaspari’s apartment, where he was arrested on charges of robbery and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Kaspari has a long record of brushes with the law, including a charge in March of driving on a suspended license.