Taxi driver and passenger violently attacked by group

Detectives seek information on violent assault

Image by: Kendra Pierroz
Detectives are currently determining whether video surveillance footage captured the assault.

Detectives for the Kingston Police (KP) are looking for witnesses of a violent assault of a taxi driver by a group of assailants that occurred earlier this month. 

At approximately 2 a.m. on April 10, a 54-year-old City Taxi driver was attacked while in the drive-through of the Burger King at Princess and Division Streets. He’d recently picked up a passenger.

As the cab approached the window to pay for food, a group of eight to 10 people approached, coming from Princess St. into the private drive-thru lane. 

One male suspect spat without provocation on the taxi’s windshield while another stared inside. Three men and one woman then proceeded to assault the driver and the passenger.

After being punched by the female suspect, the passenger retreated into the car, but improperly shut the door. The passenger sustained minor injuries after the other suspects entered the vehicle and continued to punch him or her (KP has not released the passenger’s name or gender). 

The driver’s injuries were more severe. He was punched and scratched in the face, then forced onto the pavement where the suspects stomped on his arm. The bone broke in two places upon impact. 

According to the Kingston Whig-Standard, detectives have found no known connection between the driver, the passenger and the perpetrators. They believe the group was already interested in getting into an altercation when they encountered the taxi.

Though the incident occurred at the beginning of the month, witnesses were requested by the KP in an April 21 police bulletin, which asks for information to assist the investigation and identification of suspects. 

According to the release, KP detectives are in the process of determining whether video surveillance footage for local businesses captured the assault or the perpetrators.  

Four suspects are described in the release: three male and one female, all in their twenties.  

The first male is described as of “possible Middle-Eastern descent”, with a dark complexion and a clean-shaven face. He was of a thin build, approximately 5’9” and 160 lbs, and was wearing a white “cardigan-like” sweater at the time. 

The second and third male were both of Caucasian descent, the first being 6’2” to 6’4” and 250 lbs or more, with an orange beard, a green t-shirt and green shorts.  

The third male was 5’7” with short dark hair. He wore a yellow t-shirt. 

The female suspect was 5’3”, with shoulder-length brown hair and wearing prescription glasses. 

Police have been notified that the occupants of a black pickup truck in the drive-through lane behind the taxi may have witnessed the assault and may have intervened. 

As of the April 21 release, no one who had been in the truck had come forward to the KP, but detectives believe they could be helpful in the investigation and encourage the individuals to contact them. 

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Detective Darcy Pettie at 613-549-4660 ext. 6346 or via email at dpettie@kpf.ca.

Tags

assault, crime, Kingston Police, KP, Taxi, the Hub

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