An elderly New York City cab driver was beaten up by a group of five people with no one coming to his defense, video shows.
Footage shows a group of two men and three women repeatedly striking the cab driver with shoes and closed fists, with the driver trying to protect himself and avoid their attack. The victim doesn’t appear to fight back in the video, and no onlookers are seen stepping in to diffuse the situation. After the altercation died down, an ambulance took the cabbie to New York University Hospital in stable condition.
Police said that before the beatdown took place, the victim and the group were engaged in a verbal argument, the New York Post reported. Howard Colley, 35, and 51-year-old Natalie Morgan were both arrested at the scene, according to police. Colley was charged with assault and Morgan was charged with criminal mischief for their roles in the incident. Police said the investigation into the altercation is still ongoing.
Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, condemned the act of violence and called for law enforcement to better protect cab drivers by arresting the perpetrators.
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“We must catch these young thugs and lock them up,” Mateo said in a statement. “This elderly driver did not deserve this brutal beating. Assaults, stabbings, shootings, and robberies must stop.”
Mateo also referenced another act of violence last year, in which a 52-year-old cab driver was beaten to death in Queens.
“The last yellow cab driver that got beaten was killed, his name was Kutin Gyimah,” Mateo said. “He was beaten to death by a group of teens in Far Rockaway on Aug. 18, 2022.”
The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission also spoke out against the assault, voicing concern and support for the city’s drivers.
“Our city’s hardworking drivers brave the streets every day to get us where we need to go, and violence against them is totally unacceptable and illegal,” spokesperson Jason Kersten said in a statement. “Our Driver Support Unit is in contact with the driver and offering him assistance.”
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