Taxi driver robbed in Avondale

A taxi driver was robbed early Friday in the Avondale neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

The 41-year-old man was driving with a male passenger in the back seat about 3:20 a.m. in the 3500 block of West Melrose when the passenger grabbed the driver, pressed a blunt object against his neck, and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t hand over his cash and phone, according to Chicago Police.

The driver handed it over and the passenger ran away, police said. He wasn’t hurt.

It wasn’t clear if the robber actually had a gun. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.