Hammer attack on cabbie has industry on edge
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A leader in Winnipeg’s taxi industry is calling for people to come forward with information after one of his drivers was attacked by a man with a hammer.
The 26-year-old cabbie was taken to hospital in unstable condition after the incident Saturday morning, Unicity Taxi’s general manager said Wednesday.
“It was a very serious incident,” said Abhishek Tara, adding the driver remains in hospital.
MORGAN MODJESKI / FREE PRESS
Abhishek Tara, Unicity Taxi’s general manager, is calling for people to come forward with information after one of his drivers was sent to hospital following an attack by a man with a hammer on Oct. 3.
“He lost a lot of blood.”
Tara said the driver was flagged down and he asked the customer from his driver-side window how they planned to pay.
“During this conversation, the customer got offended and, per my understanding, used a hammer to attack the driver and the driver got serious injuries,” he said. The assault continued as the driver tried to roll up his window, Tara added.
“Luckily, the driver responded quickly and moved his car,” Tara said. “During the first blows, if he had gotten more severe injuries, maybe he would not be able to drive the car, and we can imagine he would have gotten more blows.”
The Winnipeg Police Service said officers located the driver at Nairn Avenue and Watt Street at 2:20 a.m., after a passerby called 911 after the cab’s emergency light system was activated.
The cabbie was unconscious and suffered injuries to his “upper body,” police said.
Police said the driver was in the area of Sutherland and Higgins avenues when he was flagged down and attacked.
WPS Const. Dani McKinnon said Wednesday the major crimes unit is actively investigating the incident.
Tara said the driver doesn’t have family in Canada and comes from a “humble background.”
He said abuse of taxi drivers is on the rise — also mentioning recent incidents where a driver was punched at the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport and two cabs waiting at Kildonan Place mall were sprayed with an unknown substance.
Safety measures are in place to protect drivers and passengers, Tara said. They include a shield separating passengers and drivers, audio and video recording and an emergency button that activates an exterior strobe light.
He says both the City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Police Service work closely with the taxi industry.
Tara believes a way for taxi supervisors to directly contact patrol units in a case of an emergency, bypassing 911 dispatch, would be welcome.
Anyone with information or video of the incident is asked to contact the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).
morgan.modjeski@winnipegfreepress.com