Two Cabbies Attacked In One Night, Drivers Claim Violence Common
Posted June 20, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Two separate attacks on Toronto cabbies Thursday night have highlighted the inherent dangers associated with the job, and drivers claim things aren’t improving, despite the mandatory implementation of security cameras in their vehicles.
During the first incident, a driver was threatened with a knife after a fare dispute. Earlier another cabbie was robbed and car jacked at gunpoint by two men. The suspects even tried to pull out the security camera, not realizing that the images are stored elsewhere.
The driver not only lost his car, but was also robbed of cash and a cell phone at about 3am Friday near Coxwell and Eastern Aves.
The suspects drove off in the stolen vehicle, but abandoned it near St. John’s Cemetery at Kingston and Dixon Rds.
Police scoured the cemetery looking for the perpetrators but came up empty. The cab driver was shaken up but otherwise unharmed.
Police released the following descriptions of the suspects:
Suspect One:
Black
20-30
4’6″
Wearing a black dress coat and tie
Suspect Two:
Black
20-30
5’6″
Wearing a dark coloured coat.
Cabbies in Toronto claim they face violence regularly, and many have endured frightening experiences while on the job.
A driver named Khaled was attacked six months ago.
“It was a three or four dollar fare dispute…He said this, I said this, eventually he threw a punch, punched my window, broke it into pieces.”
Back in 2005 the city made it mandatory for cameras to be installed in taxi cabs. While some drivers say crime against them has decreased, others say it’s made no difference.
“Those cameras and everything is for when I get killed,” Khaled adds. “So when I’m dead you are going to try to dissect and find somebody who killed me. This little petty thing, you think that will stop people from (attacking) you?”
Safety shields will soon be installed in Hamilton cabs after council approved the idea on Thursday night. But drivers in Toronto are mixed on whether shields would be a help or a hindrance.
“Personally I like it without the shield because you have more room and more communication with the customer,” said driver Tarlochen Banwait.
Anyone with information concerning Thursday night’s attacks is urged to contact police at 416-808-5504, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
