A taxi driver who was robbed and shot at a Miami gas station was in good spirits Monday as he continued his recovery at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
"I feel fine," Jose Pena-Baez said, a day after he was shot in the leg at the Caras Oil gas station at 2810 Northwest 12th Avenue.
Surveillance videos captured the moments that landed Pena-Baez in the emergency room. He had stopped to buy something at the gas station and when he returned to his cab, a man with a gun demanded his money.
There was a struggle and Pena-Baez was shot.
"I think only and I say 'God, please give me one opportunity more with my family,'" he said.
Pena-Baez, who also turned 40 Sunday, said he was thinking about his family and three kids at the time of the shooting.
Police said the suspect stole his money and got into an awaiting getaway car driven by an accomplice. Pena-Baez hobbled away and called 911, and had to undergo emergency surgery.
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"For the long term, the main focus will also be rehabilitation, getting him to walk on his foot again," trauma surgeon Dr. Tanya Zakrison said. "Luckily the bones are intact so there's no fracture."
In a twist of fate, Pena-Baez said he also had a car accident last year on his birthday. He said he'll likely be back at work once he recovers.
"Yeah, when I think I'm ready I go back," he said.
Doctors said Pena-Baez will be in the hospital for about a week before he starts rehab.
Police said they're looking for two black males in their 20s, who were in a white older model Nissan, possibly a Maxima. Anyone with info is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
