A Winnipeg taxicab driver was being robbed when his car slammed into a tree, killing a passenger.

Police stated Monday that a review of surveillance video from the cab indicated the robbery was happening. Officers have also found a knife in the wreckage from the Sept. 20 crash, they added.

The alleged robber, a 43-year-old man, was the sole passenger in the Duffy's Taxi vehicle that hit the tree on Beverley Street near Portage Avenue just before 4 a.m. CT.

The passenger died shortly after being rushed to hospital.

The 31-year-old man who was driving the cab remains in critical condition in hospital.

Police said the passenger was known to them but they wouldn't elaborate. However, CBC News found he had a 13-page criminal record that included past convictions for robbery, weapons offences and numerous breaches of court orders.

Duffy's Taxi is in the process of organizing a fundraiser or other event in support of the injured driver's family, according to a company official.

The investigation into the crash and robbery is continuing, police said.