Taxi driver runs over and attacks woman
A WOMAN who claims she was attacked by a taxi driver after he ran over her foot with his car says she was then threatened with arrest by police unless she agreed to drop assault charges against the driver.
Therese Necio, the mother of a seven-month-old baby girl, was at the taxi rank outside Admiralty MTR station around noon on July 14, when a taxi rolled on top of her foot.
''I banged on the door with my umbrella, and shouted to the driver to move,'' she said. ''It was painful.'' The cab inched forward, but when Mrs Necio confronted the driver, she says he leaped out of his cab and began verbally assaulting her.
''She was in a panic,'' said passenger Marc Seabrook who witnessed the incident. ''I could feel the cab roll over her foot and hear her screaming.
''The driver got out and started attacking her. He was shouting and pushing her. He tried to kick her and punch her. He was really quite mad.
''It's absolutely mind-boggling. The driver was completely out of his head. I thought he was going to kill her.'' Mr Seabrook, who gave a statement to police after the incident, was astounded by the outcome. ''I cannot believe they tried to charge her with anything. The driver ran over her foot and then assaulted her. Those are the facts.'' He suggested that the attack and police response might have been racially motivated. The woman is originally from the Philippines.
Hong Kong Police refused comment.
Mr Seabrook slipped from the cab and tried to separate the pair. By then, the driver had wrestled away the umbrella Mrs Necio was using to defend herself.
Mrs Necio grabbed the driver's identification from the taxi and ran to call the police. Mr Seabrook said he stayed until officers arrived, gave his contact information, then returned to work.
''She later called me to say she had been arrested for fighting in a public place. I found it unbelievable,'' he said. ''In my opinion, the taxi driver was completely out of order.'' Mrs Necio remains outraged by her treatment. After the lunch-time encounter with the taxi driver, she spent several hours at Waterfront Police Station, where she was forced to pay bail of $500.
She left the station seven hours after the incident began.
