In a shameful incident, an elderly Indian cab driver succumbed to death after being dragged and beaten by a customer in London, on April 29.
Vijay Bhatia (69), a long-time driver and well-known among the city’s cabbies was brutally assaulted by one of the two passengers in his cab in the parking lot Mac’s convenience store, London after which he died.
A police complaint was lodged and the passengers have been taken into the custody by the police.
Cody Perkin (23) is charged with one count of second-degree murder. He is also charged with assault and uttering threats in relation to another person, who sustained minor injuries not requiring medical treatment, police said.
Condemning the incident and calling it tragic, senseless, the owner of Blue and White taxi, Jason Kukurudziak said, ‘I am so upset, he was in the business a long, long time.’
In order to get justice for Vijay, Kukurudziak downloaded footage from the interior video camera in Bhatia’s taxi and provided it to investigators.
An eye witness, Serenity Lane, living in an apartment across the street from the convenience store said, ‘I was looking out from window when I saw Bhatia being attacked. I watched a guy get pulled out of his cab and beaten to death.’
“It was horrible, I feel disgusted by what I saw,” Lane further added.
Taylor Neilson, a friend of Lane’s, was also in the apartment with her and watched the horrific incident.
“I was on the couch and I heard something. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ I could hear the screaming even though the windows were closed. It was horrible, I feel disgusted by what I saw,’ Neilson said.
