HELL’S KITCHEN — A cabdriver and his passenger were both arrested after the rider bit the driver — prompting the cabbie to punch his fare while threatening him with a tire iron, the NYPD said.
The 27-year-old cabbie told police he was driving near the southeast corner of West 36th Street and 10th Avenue around 10:45 p.m. on July 21 when he got into an argument with the 33-year-old passenger.
At some point during the argument, the passenger punched the driver, bit his arm and hit him in the back of the head, leaving a small cut, police said.
The driver, meanwhile, punched his fare in the face before grabbing a tire iron from of his trunk and approaching him in a “threatening manner,” the NYPD said.
The driver was arrested for menacing, while the passenger was arrested for assault, police said.
Both men refused medical attention at the scene, the NYPD said.
The driver was issued a desk appearance ticket, while prosecutors declined to charge the passenger, police and a spokesman for the the Manhattan District Attorney’s office office said.
A day later, on July 22 around 2:15 a.m., a yellow cab passenger punched his 33-year-old driver in the right eye near the corner of West 16th Street and 10th Avenue and said, “You’re a b---h,” police said.
The driver refused medical treatment at the scene, and the 24-year-old passenger was arrested, the NYPD said.
A spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission on Wednesday deferred an inquiry about the incident to the NYPD.
Other notable incidents in the 10th Precinct include:
► A 23-year-old man and a 24-year-old man were arrested after officers saw them with cocaine out in the open in front of a building at 346 W. 16th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, around 4 a.m. on July 21, the NYPD said. When officers searched the men, they found more cocaine in one of the their wallets.
► A 50-year-old man was arrested after he tried to steal $44 worth of hot food from the Whole Foods Market at 250 Seventh Ave., near West 24th Street, around 4 p.m. on July 21, police said. A manager working at the grocery store on Wednesday declined to comment on the incident.
► A 27-year-old man was arrested after he punched a bouncer in the face at PH-D Lounge inside the Dream Downtown Hotel, at 355 W. 16th St., near Ninth Avenue, around 7:47 p.m. on July 23, the NYPD said. The 41-year-old bouncer refused medical attention at the scene, and a spokesman for the lounge didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
► A 35-year-old man told police he’d just gotten back from his apartment on West 37th Street, near 10th Avenue, around 7:50 p.m. on July 20 when he realized he was missing his $12,000 engagement ring, two engraved wedding rings worth $3,500 and an Apple device worth $849. The man didn’t feel like he’d been the victim of a crime, but reported the lost items two days later.
► A Penn South resident of an unknown age told police someone put glue around the door frame and inside the front door lock of his apartment at 321 W. 24th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, around 9 p.m. on July 22. The glue damaged the paint on the resident’s door, and the resident had to replace his lock. No one had been arrested in connection with the incident as of Wednesday.
► A 44-year-old man’s $600 bike was stolen after he locked it in front of the Google building at 76 Ninth Ave., between West 15th and 16th streets, around 2 p.m. on July 19, the NYPD said. The man’s lock had been cut, and the thief hadn’t been arrested as of Wednesday.
► A 27-year-old woman locked her $600 bike in front of Morimoto at 88 10th Ave., near West 15th Street, around 12:50 p.m. on July 22 and went to Chelsea Market, police said. When she returned, she discovered her lock had been clipped and her bike was gone. No one had been arrested in connection with the theft as of Wednesday.
