Taxi Fare-Dodger Smothers Female Cabbie With Jacket

Story By: John FengSub-EditorJoseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

AsiaWire

This is the moment a brazen taxi passenger tries to smother a female cabbie with his jacket and then darts out the door in order to avoid paying his fare.

The incident happened in the county of Wusheng, in Sichuan Province in south-western China, on 12th April.

Security footage from the taxi shows the vehicle arriving at its destination when the passenger wearing trousers and a button shirt suddenly throws his jacket over the driver’s head.

The terrified cabbie claws at the suspect’s hands as he tries to smother her with the item of clothing.

He then opens the back door and flees the vehicle, leaving the taxi driver stunned and unable to give chase.

Wucheng police said they arrested the passenger, Mr Wang, the following day, with CCTV images showing plain-clothed cops nabbing him for the crime.

The taxi driver had reported the incident as an attempted mugging, but Mr Wang explained he was not trying to rob the cabbie – he just did not want to pay for his journey.

He covered the cabbie’s eyes so she would not see his face, allowing him to escape, Wang told officers.

It is unclear how much Mr Wang’s fare was, but he remains in custody as an investigation continues.

While his latest case is not being processed as attempted robbery, the authorities said Mr Wang was later found to be connected to the thefts of one electric bike and three mobile phones since March.

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