New York cabbie mows down awkward passengers
A New York cab driver ran down three of his fares because they insisted on him making a journey that made little profit.
Furious at being forced to take them from Manhattan into the Bronx, he rammed them after they got out, then drove off.
Mohammed Azam, 27, was later charged with assault and leaving the scene of an accident.
Police said four men hailed Azam’s cab at about 4am on Sunday in Manhattan and asked to be taken to the Bronx after they got inside.
Azam refused, according to prosecutors, saying it was too far away, the trip would make him late to turn in his taxi at its depot and he would have to pay a $30 fee.
It is a typical but illegal complaint by yellow cab drivers who often do not want to head into the outer boroughs because it is not worth the money to make the lengthy trip.
But the men knew that once they were in the cab, the driver was required by law to take them to their destination – and they got into an argument that culminated with the driver stopping at a police station.
The four passengers and Azam went inside, where officers told the taxi driver he was required to take them where they wanted to go. As they left one of the men decided to take another taxi.
Azam told the other three to get into his car, but when one of them had his hand on a passenger door handle, the driver abruptly backed up, yanking the passenger and throwing him to the ground.
Then he drove forward, ramming the other two, who were carried along on the bonnet for 30 yards.
One was critically injured and was in a medically induced coma, doctors are uncertain if he will live. A second was in stable condition. The third suffered bruises but was not seriously injured.
Azam’s lawyer said he was studying medicine while also driving a taxi.
Azam’s brother Mohammed Nobi gave local media a different version of the incident saying the men were in another car and got into an accident with Azam’s cab.
