Suspect sought after 3rd attack on cab driver in less than a week

Police are searching for a suspect who stabbed a cab driver in the Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue area on Tuesday night — the third attack on a cabbie in less than a week.

Authorities released an image of the alleged attacker on Wednesday.

A man hailed a taxi, driven by Yaw Boamah, in the Keele Street and Wilson Avenue area around 11 p.m.  The suspect asked Boamah to let him off in a laneway near Macdonald Avenue. That’s when Boamah says his fare suddenly reached over from the backseat and stabbed him twice in the stomach.

Boamah managed to get out of his cab and he collapsed. The car was still in drive and ran over him. The suspect then demanded money, taking $140.

Boamah, who has driven a cab for 12 years and is in his 50s, suffered serious injuries.

The suspect is described as black, about 25 years old, five-feet-six-inches tall and approximately 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark jacket.

Last Wednesday, a taxi driver was knifed and had his car stolen near Lake Shore Boulevard West and Thirty Eighth Street in Etobicoke. An 18-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and robbery.

Earlier that same day, another cab driver was choked in his vehicle in the Bathurst and Yonge streets area. It happened around 3 a.m. and the attacker stole the victim’s cellphone.

A cab drivers’ union, iTaxiworkers Association, issued a statement on Wednesday, calling for a meeting with Toronto Police chief Bill Blair and Mayor Rob Ford.

“Drivers are terrified. We all live with the constant fear of assault and death. While we worry for our own lives and families our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow driver and his family,” Sajid Mughal, president of iTaxiworkers Association, said in a statement.

“We are demanding tougher penalties for criminals who commit violent acts against taxi drivers, and more cops working to catch these animals.”