A Hall County man who refused to pay his $7 cab fare will have to pay $15,000 in restitution after pleading guilty last week to punching his driver and knocking his teeth loose.
The attack came at the end of a 3-mile taxi ride and resulted in charges of aggravated battery and theft of service for 24-year-old Guillermo Carmelo-Alonzo, according to court documents. After entering a negotiated plea, Carmelo-Alonzo was sentenced April 6 to 10 years, with the first year to be served behind bars and the rest on probation.
He was given credit for time served since his April 2022 arrest, documents showed.
According to an arrest warrant, Carmelo-Alonzo and his brother Juan Carmelo-Alonzo requested a taxi the afternoon of April 4, 2022, to go from Airport Drive in Gainesville to Centennial Drive. But after arriving at the destination, Guillermo Carmelo-Alonzo told the driver he didn’t want to pay the small fee, according to the Hall County District Attorney’s Office.
When the driver confronted him, Guillermo Carmelo-Alonzo punched him in the mouth, knocking two teeth loose, knocking the cap off another tooth and breaking a fourth at or near the gum line, the warrant stated.
The brothers were arrested the same day and booked into the Hall County jail. Prosecutors said Guillermo Carmelo-Alonzo knowingly hailed the cab by “deception and with the intent to avoid payment.” His brother was charged as a party to the crime, the DA’s office said.
In addition to probation, Superior Court Judge Jason Deal ordered Guillermo Carmelo-Alonzo to pay the restitution to the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program, which helps victims of violent crimes by easing their financial burden, according to its website. The program is under the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Juan Carmelo-Alonzo also entered a guilty plea and waived his right to a grand jury indictment, the DA’s office said Thursday. He has not been sentenced.
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