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Two men arrested after allegedly beating cab driver

ARLINGTON, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Police did not have a very difficult time tracking down two men accused of assaulting a taxi cab driver after one of the men left multiple cards with his name on them behind, and paid partial cab fare with a credit card.

The incident happened Saturday night at around 11:30 p.m. The two men took a taxi from the Alewife MBTA station in Cambridge to an address in Arlington. When they reached the address, the cab driver told the men they owed a fare of roughly $20.

One of the suspects then reportedly slid his credit card through the cab's payment system and paid $2 of the fare. When the cab driver told the men they still needed to pay the rest of the fare, police report that the passengers and driver began to argue. After the driver threatened to call police, one of the men started punching him.

The driver then reportedly reached for his cell phone, and one of the suspects then grabbed it, throwing it out of the cab onto the pavement. The men then fled.

After the driver called police to report the incident, he gave a description of the two men, which police broadcast to officers in units around the area. The driver also reported that the men had left multiple cards with the name "Chris LaFrance" on them in the back of the cab.

Arlington police dispatch matched a man with that name to an address on Cleveland Street in Arlington. Officers went to the home and found two men inside, whom the driver identified as the suspects who attacked him.

Police arrested Christopher LaFrance, 25, and Jacob Shaps, 24, of Boston, and charged both with unarmed robbery, assault and battery, and intimidation of a witness. The men are scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Cambridge District Court. Police say the driver was not badly hurt and declined medical attention.