Cyclist run off the road by taxi driver now facing assault charge
Video of the cab driver hitting the cyclist went viral; now both face charges
Last week Toronto police laid charges against a cab driver after a video of a taxi ramming a bicycle courier went viral on YouTube.
Today, police announced that the cyclist has also been charged.
According to a statement released by police on Sunday evening, "it is alleged that the cyclist reached into the cab and assaulted the driver."
The 31-year-old Brampton, Ont., man faces one assault charge and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 17.
The driver has a scheduled court date of Oct. 4, where he will face one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and one count of assault with a weapon — namely, his vehicle.
When the charges against the taxi driver were laid, police alleged the driver and the cyclist had already had what Toronto police Const. Clint Stibbe called "a physical altercation" on Bay Street.
Stibbe said he couldn't elaborate on what kind of scuffle it was. The video clip clearly shows the cyclist tapping on the cab's window as it inched closer to him. After that, the driver veered directly into the bicycle sending both man and bike sprawling on to the sidewalk.
The incident took place at about 5:48 p.m. on Aug. 18, on Bay Street north of Saint Mary Street.