Taxi driver faces charges after video of cab hitting cyclist goes viral
57-year-old driver charged with 1 count of assault with a weapon: his taxi
Toronto police have laid charges against a cab driver after a video of a taxi ramming a bicycle courier went viral on YouTube last week.
The 57-year-old Thornhill man faces one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and one count of assault with a weapon — in this case, his taxi.
Police allege the accused and the 31-year-old cyclist, who works for Favour food delivery, 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 that was.
But there's clear footage of 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 accused is an independent owner and taxi operator, according to the city of Toronto.
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The person who shot the video can be heard approaching the cyclist toward the end of the video, and asking him, "Are you all right? You OK?"
"Yeah," the cyclist responds before yelling at the cab driver, "You're going to jail! That is assault!"
The taxi driver will appear in court on Oct. 4
The cyclist, meanwhile, suffered minor injuries, Stibbe said.