Cops: Man Allegedly Threatened to Shoot Cab Driver in Fairfield

[Editor's note: Arrest information is supplied by the Fairfield Police Department. It does not indicate convictions.]

A Westport man was arrested early Saturday after he allegedly threatened to shoot a taxi driver over his cab fare, police said.

A Yellow Cab driver called police at 3:45 a.m. Saturday and reported that he was being held a gunpoint in Fairfield by a customer, according to the report. The cab driver told police he had picked up the suspect in Bridgeport and the man became aggressive, made racial slurs against the driver, and refused to pay his cab fare, department spokesperson Sgt. Sue Lussier said.

The suspect then got out of the cab and began to bang on the windshield and windows, the cab driver said. The man then threatened to shoot the complainant and reached for his waistband, Lussier said. Fearing for his life, the cab driver called police.

Responding officers conducted a pat down of the suspect -- later identified as Lars Soderstorm, 44, of Old Hill Farm Road -- and did not find any weapons. Soderstorm was transported to police headquarters, where he reportedly refused to be fingerprinted.

Soderstorm was charged with refusal to be fingerprinted, sixth-degree larceny, breach of peace, second-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, and threatening, according to the report. He was released later Saturday morning after posting a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 22.