Berlin · BE

Robbery series targeting ride-service drivers in Berlin involved knife or pepper-spray threats

According to Berlin police and prosecutors, a series of robberies in Rudow, Britz and Buckow targeted drivers working for service companies. Drivers were allegedly booked for short journeys and forced to hand over cash at isolated destinations through threats involving a knife or pepper spray.

Authorities cited a robbery of a driver in Bartschiner Straße in Britz at about 01:45 on 19 June 2025 as an example. Two men allegedly robbed him, and about 45 minutes later another driver was threatened and robbed in Bruno-Traut-Ring in Buckow. During the night of 2 July, an unknown passenger allegedly demanded money from another driver while a 22-year-old suspect held an irritant spray device to the driver's face. The suspect was provisionally detained after that incident and remanded in custody over that offence. Whether he was involved in further robberies remained under investigation.

Source: www.berlin.de