A cabbie who tried to grab a purse from four women who refused to pay his fare was beaten by a group of “good Samaritans” who mistakenly thought they were witnessing a robbery, cops said.
The driver, whose name was not released, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital early this morning where he was treated for cuts on his face, cops said.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. at Whitehall and Water streets, near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, after the ladies, who’d been partying at a Midtown club called Bogart’s on Park, got in a fight with him over the fare, cops said.
They jumped from his car and the cabbie gave chase, grabbing at their purses, cops said.
That’s when another car arrived on the scene, and a group of wannabe heroes pounced on the driver, thinking the were witnessing a mugging.
The not-so-gallant group beat the driver to the ground as the ungrateful girls hopped on the ferry.
After the attack, the men fled the scene, and the wounded cabbie, bleeding from the face, called police.
He was able to describe the four fleet-footed females, who were picked up by cops as they disembarked from the boat in Staten Island.
They were questioned by cops this morning and given summonses for fare beating.
The driver couldn’t identify his attackers, who are still at large. It’s unclear if the wounds he sustained were the result of weapons or fists.
By JOHN DOYLE
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Abie 02.02.09 at 7:38 pm
This should be a lesson to all taxi drivers……NEVER PURSUE FARE BEATERS!!
Two wrongs don’t make a right….Let it go. Live to work another day.
Not only is it criminal to grab the money even if you have been stiffed. You can be seriously hurt or killed over this…. Forget it!!!
Gil Avineri 02.04.09 at 12:05 am
why aren’t we more camaraderious? there should have been5 cabbies on that scene within seconds.
KINGOFNEWYORKHACKS 02.09.09 at 1:41 am
I’m with Gil on that one. We together outnumber EVERY city agency !!! Brothers Unite !!!
Charles T 02.28.10 at 8:29 am
Fare beaters and dangerous riders. It doesn’t happen often not every year, but some riders through their conversation (and some conversations you wouldn’t believe, or would you?) with each other, it becomes very very scary. What I do is wait until I get to a spot I know they will recognize as a safe. good place to get another cab or I leave the route and quickly drive to a good, lighted, cab getting spot, and then I just pull over to the curb, stop and say, I’ve been called home for an emergency, the meter’s off and you don’t have to pay. These guys hop out like greased lightning. Usually they are under the influence and suddenly think they are getting something for free, a mind shift from the fare beating, or driver robbing they were planning. And if I happened to mis-assess the situation, well, they get a free ride or part of it.
Charles T 02.28.10 at 8:44 am
If I can’t find a good spot it in a second or two, I say I have an emergency at home so I can’t take you. I say I’m shutting the meter off you don’t have to pay (and I shut it off when I say it) and I’m taking you where you can get another cab. Sorry. As I said, they are under the influence, or otherwise not right, and suddenly happy to get a free ride so they don’t even notice I didn’t receive any phone call.