NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A drunk passenger allegedly beat up his yellow cab driver in Manhattan on Monday night and hijacked the taxi after refusing to pay for his ride, police said.
Mame Gueye, 25, was riding in the back of the yellow cab in Gramercy at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday when his card declined and he refused to pay, police said.
The driver pulled over near Lexington Avenue and East 23rd Street and asked the fare evader to get out, but he said no, officials said.
Gueye eventually exited the cab and pulled the driver out before choking him and punching him repeatedly, police said. He then jumped behind the wheel and drove off south on Lexington Avenue, leaving the cabbie on the street.
The driver refused medical attention at the scene, officials said.
Officers got in touch with the cab company and were able to track the stolen vehicle through its GPS tag to Madison Avenue and 78th Street, where they discovered Gueye.
The drunk driver was getting out of the vehicle when they spotted him, and officers pursued him on foot until they nabbed him near Park Avenue and 79th Street.
Gueye was taken to a nearby hospital for observation. He is now facing multiple charges including robbery, assault and criminal obstruction of breathing, police said.
Police said that Gueye, of the Bronx, was previously arrested in March 2023 for driving while intoxicated.