March 09--Bail was set at $500,000 Sunday for a 21-year-old man accused of stabbing a cabdriver during an attempted robbery on the North Side early Friday.
Melvin M. Atto, 21, of the 2500 block of West Winnemac Avenue, appeared before a judge who set bail at $500,000 at the Leighton Criminal Court building.
Atto is charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery to a cabdriver, both felonies. The alleged attack happened in the 6700 block of North California Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, police said.
About 2:30 a.m. Friday, the cabdriver picked up a male passenger who got into the car and announced a robbery, Officer Ron Gaines, a Chicago Police Department spokesman, said at the time. During a struggle, the passenger stabbed the driver in the arm and leg. The cab then swerved and struck a vehicle, police said. The passenger fled without taking anything.
The cabdriver, a 32-year-old man, was taken to Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where his condition stabilized. No other injuries were reported, police said.
Atto was identified as the male offender, police said. He was arrested at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the 5900 block of North Sacramento Avenue, police said.
