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| Belfast cabby sits on armed thief http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10362 |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Thu Jan 01, 2009 6:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Belfast cabby sits on armed thief |
Brave taxi driver hailed after tackling hijacker A BRAVE taxi driver restrained an "armed" would-be hijacker until police arrived – by sitting on him for 35 minutes. The Belfast cabbie’s ordeal began when his fare pulled a pistol from a brown paper bag early yesterday morning and ordered him out of the cab. But when the would-be car-jacker pointed the gun in his face the taximan ran towards him and grabbed him in a bear-hug. He shoved his attacker through the doors of the Hilton hotel in Templepatrick where he had asked to be dropped. The driver, in his 40s, had pressed the gun to his attacker’s body with his weight and he sat on top of him while receptionists called for police. When they arrived, officers used a Taser stun gun before they arrested the 46-year-old. The gun turned out to be a fake. The driver was so traumatised that he did not want to be named but told friends that he had no idea the gun was not real. “When he pointed the gun at me I don’t know what came over me, but I found myself running towards him. I must have thought it was safer than being at a distance where he could aim,” he said. He added the hijacker had been after his car and said one of the reasons he fought back was because it was his livelihood. One of the Fonacab driver’s bosses, Simon Kitchen, branded the attacker a coward and called for attacks on cabbies to stop. “It’s a disgrace – these drivers are just out there trying to make a living,” he said. “It’s hard enough with the credit crunch, but when things like this happen, it’s sickening.” He added there had been a spate of attacks on drivers in the Belfast area in the past few weeks, from knives being pulled to assaults outside taxis. “This nonsense has to stop,” he said. “This driver, who’s just an ordinary guy with an ordinary build, is really badly shaken. We have given him time off and are helping any way we can. We just hope he recovers.” The hijacker is still in custody, and the Police Ombudsman was informed after the Taser was deployed. A spokesman for the Ombudsman’s office said: “The man ignored warnings from the police, who then discharged a Taser in an attempt to disarm him. He was restrained and subsequently arrested and is currently being held in police custody.” Detectives have appealed for witnesses and are looking at CCTV footage from the hotel. Manager of the hotel Mark Walker said: “The safety of our guests and staff is our primary concern and thanks to the professional response of our team members, no one was harmed. “This is now a police matter and we are fully cooperating with their investigation.” Police have been criticised since they started to use Tasers last year, which fire two wires that attach to the body and apply an electrical shock to incapacitate the target. |
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| Author: | toots [ Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Quote: We have given him time off and are helping any way we can. We just hope he recovers.
How very kind of them I wonder if they'll pay him while he's off? |
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