LOWER EAST SIDE — A cab driver managed to fend off two attackers who tried to rob him after he dropped off a passenger in the Lower East Side, police said.
The 56-year-old driver was stopped in front of 97 Clinton St. at about 4:35 a.m. on Feb. 12, when two men quickly approached him while he was seated in the car. One man, Alioune Ndiaye, 33, punched him on the left side of his face, then another man, Malick Serigne, 32, grabbed at his collar, police said.
Serigne then went into the car through the passenger side and tried to steal the victim's bag, while Ndiaye kicked the driver multiple times. The driver managed to grab his bag back and drive away from his attackers, police said.
Ndiaye and Serigne were each charged with two counts of attempted robbery, and both were being held on bail, according to the Manhattan DA's office. Calls to their court-appointed lawyers were not immediately returned.