Just a few weeks after a crack-addicted thief was sentenced to four years in jail for committing armed robbery against two cabbies and seriously injuring one victim, another man is being sought by police for a violent attack on a cab driver.
The cabbie, a 63-year-old driver, picked up the fateful fare at the Treasure Cove Casino on the evening of Jan. 23. The man asked to be taken to the area of Alexander Crescent and Anthlone Avenue (near Lakewood Elementary School). When it came time to pay, the passenger became violent.
"The suspect... was thought to be intoxicated [and] became agitated and began to assault the driver by putting an arm around his neck," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "The suspect then demanded the victim's money, but the victim was able to fight off the suspect while yelling for help. The suspect fled on foot near Alexander Crescent, without obtaining money."
The suspect's photo taken from the cab's surveillance camera.
The cabbie carried on with his shift and did not report the incident, at first.
"He noticed he was bleeding on his neck and drove himself to the hospital," Douglass said. After explaining his injuries to medical staff shortly after 8 p.m. that night, police were called.
The cabbie described the attacker as a First Nations male about six feet tall. The suspect was wearing a white jacket with designs, a green and white Canucks baseball cap, and he was carrying a backpack.
Anyone with information on the criminal offence is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at (250) 561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-TIPS (8477), online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca, or text a tip to CRIMES using keyword pgtips.
