A taxi driver in London went from laughing with three customers to nervously navigating the roads to saving one of their lives after a fight broke out and one of them jumped back into his car to avoid being stabbed to death.
A viral video shows the terrifying minutes the driver went from smiling to praying as his car window was busted and one of his passengers begged him to “drive fast” while fighting off multiple attackers.
When the video opens it shows the driver laughing with a trio of men. He tells one of them he’s preparing to go home as they exit the vehicle. In the background, a white Mercedes pulls up and at least three other men wearing masks and hoodies jump out and begin chasing the men.
The taxi driver proceeds to reverse so he can leave, but one of the men, wearing a white t-shirt and blue beanie jumps back into his car and yells, “Uncle, hey, uncle!” before one of his attackers busts the widow with a hammer.
“Uncle, drive,” the man yells repeatedly. “Drive the car, uncle; uncle, drive; drive, uncle, please!” he continues to yell as another attacker opens the door on the opposite side and he is fighting for his life.
The driver seems frozen in fear for a while and begins saying, “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God! Please, please, please, please … My car and everything [is] broke.”
“Drive fast, uncle,” the man who’s been stabbed repeats. “I’m going to pay you, uncle. Take money, uncle … I’ll give you money. Drive fast, uncle! I’m bleeding, uncle! Drive fast!”
The injured man takes money out of his bag and puts it in the man’s front seat and encourages him to keep driving. The driver nervously asks him where he should go.
“Go straight, uncle, I’ll call police, don’t worry,” the man says before calling a friend and telling him he got stabbed. “They’re behind me,” the driver nervously says before repeatedly reiterating that they are being followed.
Here's PART 1 of what happened. Description on the thread
— Omosh (@omondike_) July 26, 2024
Part 2 on my profile https://t.co/FTW1iLcW3h
The man tells the driver to go to the police station then calls the police to report the situation. The video cuts off while he is talking to the police dispatcher.
The video surfaced approximately a month after several news outlets reported a man checked himself into the hospital with stab wounds the morning after residents told police they’d seen men with knives in the area of Spencer Road and New Road in Rainham on Sunday, June 23.
According to The Havering Daily’s coverage of the incident, a police spokesperson told them officers were called to the hospital about a man “suffering what are believed to be stab injuries” but noted his condition was “not life-threatening or life-changing.”
The spokesperson added that they were trying to verify whether the man was involved in the incident reported by residents the prior day and that no arrests had been made at that point.
Users on social media chimed in with at least one person who reposted the video claiming the incident was gang-related and the man’s two friends had been killed in the attack.
“It was a gang related fight. Reports shows that they’d gone to look for a consignment that was reportedly taken by then rival gang on to walk into a trap,” a user who goes by the moniker Omosh wrote on X. “His two friends died of stab wounds while he managed to escape in the cab and take himself to the hospital.”
Another user said the fight was gang-related but Omosh was mistaken about the facts.
“This is complete misinformation. Yes it was a gang related attack as i’ve seen the dudes instagram and he is definitely a gang member but all the other details you have stated have been completely fabricated,” they responded.
“How you gonna be a gang member then call the cops when you get caught up in gang s—t,” someone else asked.
Atlanta Black Star has not verified the truth of either claim, but other users chimed in with varying opinions on the driver’s delayed response in pulling off.
“That driver was a bit useless,” one wrote. “That s—t was pissing me tf off,” another chimed in adding, “like he’s literally saying ‘drive’ and the driver is just like ‘oh my god’ LIKE DRIVEE.”
That shit was pissing me tf off 💀 like he’s literally saying “drive” and the driver is just like “ oh my god” LIKE DRIVEE
— 𝑴𝒘𝒂𝒉 (@BL_supper) July 26, 2024
“Uncle has clear situational awareness. He knew that if he makes it harder for them, he will become a target too,” someone else said, defending the driver’s actions. “And this is what happened. When he started to drive away, one of the guy yelled ‘get the driver’. So he needed time to decide if it worth risking his life.”
Police have responded to the video and noted they are aware of its existence and the investigation is still ongoing, according to a report by the Newham Recorder.
