December 21, 2007
Brandon Haught
Public Information Officer

TAXI DRIVER ATTACKER CAPTURED 

A Daytona Beach man was arrested Wednesday for attacking a cab driver with a large knife Dec. 11 near Holly Hill. An article about the attempted robbery in the Daytona Beach News-Journal caught the attention of the defendant’s brother, who then called investigators. He said that Charles Cregar had told him that he had been in a fight with a cab driver and might have seriously hurt him. Investigators then heard from Cregar himself. He admitted to the attack and said that he had checked into a local mental health clinic. After further investigation and interviews, Cregar was arrested and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. 

The attack happened at approximately 1:15 a.m. Cregar called in a request for a taxi to pick him up on Elm Street, Holly Hill. Once he climbed into the car, Cregar directed that he be taken to Tracy Street, Ormond Beach. Once the taxi turned onto LPGA Boulevard, Cregar grabbed the driver by his hair and put a large knife to his neck. He ordered the driver to pull over and give him money. However, the driver grabbed the knife and struggled with Cregar, eventually pulling over at a gas station at 1101 Derbyshire Road, Holly Hill. He honked his horn and yelled at some bystanders for help. Cregar then ran away without having gotten anything from the driver, and climbed over a chain link fence to escape. 

The 49-year-old victim was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach by EVAC ambulance for treatment of his non-life threatening injuries. The driver suffered serious cuts to both hands, but didn’t have any other injuries. 

Cregar, 36, apparently told his brother a little bit about the incident, enough to allow the brother to connect the dots when he read about the attack in the newspaper the next day. A short time later, Cregar called investigators and admitted to fighting with the cab driver. During a subsequent interview, he said that he had used cocaine prior to the attack, and his memory of the incident was hazy. But he provided enough details to convince investigators Cregar was in fact the attacker, which resulted in the Wednesday arrest. He was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and aggravated assault.