Taxi driver beaten after couple ‘vomited in cab and refused to pay cleaning fee’

A taxi driver alleges he was assaulted by a couple who threw up in his car and then refused to pay a cleaning charge.

Koorosh Afshari claims he was pulled from his vehicle and attacked after picking up couple in Manchester city centre and taking them to Partington in Trafford.

The 48-year-old was left in a distressed state, with his clothes torn and scratch marks all over his arms and legs.

Describing the incident to Manchester Evening News, the cabbie said the female customer had been sick in the back passenger seat.

When he confronted the pair about the mess, Koorosh said the male passenger ‘blamed it on the heating’ in the taxi.

Koorosh said: “A couple had called for a taxi and I picked them up from Peter Street in the city centre.

“Halfway there, the woman started being sick.

“After a few minutes, the man started telling me it was because the taxi was too hot and said he was going to be sick too.”

Stopping the car on Wood Lane in Partington, Koorosh said he told the couple he would be charging them a cleaning fee.

Angered, he claimed the male passenger then left the vehicle before asked the woman to pay for the journey last Saturday.

He says she refused and only offered to pay £10 for the whole trip – despite it costing £34 and then £20 in cleaning fees.

Koorosh was then dragged out of the car as he called police to report the passengers’ details.

The taxi driver said: “He was shouting at me and screaming and just opened the door and pulled me out.

“I was in so much pain and was crying. I was on the floor and was trying to push him off”

The argument caught the attention of nearby resident Michelle, who ushered taxi driver Koorosh into her house and called for help.

She said the ordeal was ‘horrendous and upsetting’ but that emergency services said it would take ‘around four hours’ to send an ambulance to Koorosh’s aid.

She said: “It was absolutely awful.

“He was being attacked right outside my house and he had been shoved straight through my fence which is now damaged.

“I had heard all this screaming and shouting and wanted to see what it was. I saw him being attacked and knew I had to help out.

“I let him into safety and called the police straight away who told me nobody was available to come out.

“I then called an ambulance and told them he was in a lot of pain but they said it would take four hours because they were very busy.

“I just couldn’t believe it. He was very shaken up, it was just horrendous and felt like nobody else could help.”

Cabbie Koorosh called Michelle an ‘angel’ for helping him.

Injured and with a painful shoulder, he drove himself to A&E where he was checked over and sent home.

He added: “It was frightening and I was in really bad pain.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are still investigating the incident.

A spokesperson said: “Police were called at 8pm on Sunday 20 November, to report an assault had taken place on Wood Lane, Partington.

“A 48-year old man had been assaulted following an altercation, and received minor injuries.

“An investigation is underway into what happened, the victim has been updated on its progress, and officers are following up a number of lines of enquiry.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”

The North West Ambulance service confirmed they received a call at 8.12 pm on Saturday evening asking for an ambulance.

A spokesperson said: “999 is a service for life-threatening and serious emergencies only, and each call is categorised based on information given by the caller.

“We are currently dealing with a large number of high priority incidents, which does mean some patients, particularly those with lower category conditions or injuries, do have to wait longer for a response.

“So patients can make an informed decision, we give an indication on how long they may have to wait where we can.

“We are sorry to hear about the incident that Mr Afshari was involved in, and we hope he makes a swift and full recovery.”

After being told about the wait, Koorosh called back to cancel it before then driving himself to urgent care.