(Originally posted by Brummie Cabbie!)
Taxi driver attacked by yobs
5 May 2011
A TAXI driver was trapped and attacked by a gang of yobs who smashed up his car in the middle of a Bolton street.
Terrified Elvis Salambi- Maluasi said he thought he was going to be pulled from his car and killed when the drunken youths surrounded his taxi in Tong Road, Little Lever.
Mr Salambi-Maluasi, aged 41, was on his way to pick up a fare when the gang of five youths blocked the street in front of him near the junction of Victory Road.
One of them threw a bottle of beer at his car, and he heard someone shout: “Come on, let’s go and finish him.”
He tried to reverse to escape, but the yobs surrounded his car and began kicking and punching it. His windscreen was smashed, bodywork dented and wing mirror was kicked off.
The gang eventually ran away when an off-duty police officer came to help.
Mr Salambi-Maluasi, a father-of-six from Great Lever, said: “I was very upset. When I came home all my family and my kids were very upset as well.
“These five lads came in front of my car and blocked the way. I couldn’t go forwards because I would have hit them, so I tried to reverse, but they followed me. All five of them attacked me. I didn’t know what they were going to do.
I thought they could kill me. They were so violent.”
Mr Salambi-Maluasi, who has been a Metro taxi driver in Bolton for twoand- a-half years, said it was the worst incident he had ever experienced.
The yobs caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to his car and put the taxi out of action over the busy bank holiday weekend, which he estimates would have cost him about £400 in lost earnings.
Metro boss Nick Astley said: “I think this kind of behaviour is absolutely disgusting. All we can do is go all the way and prosecute these people when they are caught.”
Police are investigating the incident at 9pm on Sunday, and patrols in the area have been increased. Sgt Darren Meadows said: “We are confident that those responsible will be caught and brought to justice.”
The incident is the latest on a string of attacks on private-hire vehicles which prompted taxi bosses to meet with police earlier this year. Anyone with information should call police on 0161 8725050 or Crimestopppers on 0800 555111.
Source;
The Bolton News
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