A shocking video shows a London cab driver caught in a knife fight as masked attackers with machetes try to stab one of his passengers.
TMZ reports the widely shared incident happened on Spencer Road in Rainham at 5:10 AM on June 23.
In the opening of the footage, the taxi driver waves farewell to three cheerful men who had just been passengers in his cab, before remarking, “I’m heading home now.” Moments after the trio exits the cab, a Mercedes approaches from behind, and at least three men leap out.
A scuffle ensues as the taxi driver begins to slowly back away. After about 10 seconds, one of the men who had been in the cab—dressed in a light blue t-shirt and a beanie—suddenly yanks open the rear left door and leaps inside.
He is being chased by an assailant clad in a black hoodie and a red mask, who shatters the taxi’s window with a hammer. Moments later, another man, his face obscured as well, plunges a large knife into him.
The terrified man inside the cab cries out, “Uncle, drive!” as he is repeatedly stabbed through both windows by the three attackers, blood pooling on his shirt.
The Terrified London Cab Driver Attempts to Drive the Stabbing Victim Away From His Attackers
For several seconds, the driver seems paralyzed with fear before he finally starts to move away, while the stabbing victim struggles to fend off his attackers. The man examines his injuries and then, through the rear window, realizes that the Mercedes is now in pursuit.
“Drive fast! Drive fast, uncle!” the man pleaded with the driver. He then assured him he would cover the costs of the damage to his car. The victim had a jagged gash marring his arm and another cut just above his right eye, blood staining his shirt in a gruesome testament to the violence he had endured.
Despite the chaos and the stabbing, the London cab driver remains cool. “They’re coming, are you going somewhere?'” the cab driver asks. “Where are you going? Tell me where you’re going.”
“Go right,” the frightened passenger urges, pleading for him to head to the nearest police station. The injured man, clutching a knife in his left hand, picks up his phone. He informs a friend that he has been stabbed.
The stabbing victim calls the police, reporting that he’s being pursued and was threatened with a knife. The footage ends when the operator asks for his location.
The man reportedly went to the hospital following the incident. Fortunately, his injuries are not considered life-altering or life-threatening.