New York – NY Cabbie Arrested After Passengers Are Struck

New York – A cab driver furious he was being forced to drive his fares from Midtown into the Bronx rammed two of them with his taxi before fleeing, critically injuring one and seriously wounding the other, police said Monday.

Mohammed Azam was arrested on charges of vehicular assault and leaving the scene of an accident and was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan criminal court. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney. A call to the union representing drivers for the city’s signature yellow cabs wasn’t immediately returned.

Police said four men hailed Azam’s cab at about 4 a.m. Sunday in Midtown Manhattan and asked to be taken to the Bronx after they got inside. Azam refused, according to police, saying it was too far away — a typical but illegal complaint by yellow cab drivers who don’t want to head into the outer boroughs because it’s not worth the money to make the lengthy trip. But the men knew that once they were in the cab, the driver was required by law to take them to their destination — and they got into an argument that culminated with the driver stopping at the Midtown police precinct, authorities said.

The four passengers and Azam went inside, where officers told the taxi driver he was required to take the fares where they wanted to go. As they left the precinct, Azam got to the cab first, locked the doors, backed up and rammed two of the passengers before driving off, police said.

Anthony Loreto, 22, was critically injured and was in a medically induced coma. Frank Lembo, who also was struck, was in stable condition.

Azam’s brother Mohammed Nobi told local media that his brother was a medical student who worked part-time as a taxi driver. He said his brother relayed a different version of the incident to him, telling him the men were driving a car and got into an accident with Nobi’s cab.

Nobi told the Daily News of New York that his brother said they had reached an agreement to sort out damages among themselves but then the men went to the police.

“He has clean record. Never an accident. This is first time something like this,” his brother told the newspaper.

Authorities had the license plate number and contacted the taxi company and located Azam at his home in Queens. He was picked out of a lineup and arrested. Azam could not immediately be located Monday for comment.

The other two passengers were not believed to be injured.