"Cabby punched me."-13 year old boy claimed
-
Last week it was a 17 year old who punched a bus DRIVER, now its supposedly the reverse.
THEY claimed the taxi driver attacked and punched one of them when they couldn't pay up.
They said he shouted vulgarities at them, challenged them to a fight, and demanded they pay double the fare.
He had even snatched two of their handphones away.
The four teens made a police report against the Comfort driver.
But the taxi driver has a very different version of what happened.
According to Mr Tay Kwee Chee, 47, the four boys had refused to pay for the ride, which cost $23.90.
The boys had boarded his taxi at Downtown East resort in Pasir Ris around 3.30pm last Saturday.
But once they got to their destination at Jurong West, they got out and ran off without paying.
And no, he didn't snatch the boys' handphones. According to him, he had only one, and it was offered to him by one of the boys as collateral, while they supposedly went to get money to pay him. (See page 8 for cabby's full account.)
But the teens are disputing this.
They said Mr Tay refused to wait for them to raise money after they found they had only $20 with them, a little short of the $23.90 fare on the meter.
And yes, he punched one of them in the stomach, they insisted.
According to the teens, they had made calls and managed to find friends nearby who agreed to meet them with the money.
But instead of waiting, the taxi driver accused the boys of cheating him, and started scolding them, using abusive language in Hokkien.
The teens said they had decided to go to the home of one of them after an outing at Downtown East's Wild Wild Wet water theme park.
We are not revealing their real names because the police are now investigating the case.
One of the four, David, 14, said: 'We asked the taxi uncle how much we needed to pay to go to Jurong West. He said the fare would be not more than $20. So we thought we'd have enough money for the ride.'
RAISE MONEY
(From far left) John, Charles, David and Paul. -- Picture: MOHD ISHAK
They got to Jurong West Street 24 at 4.24pm, only to realise they needed $3.90 more for the fare.
John, 13, recalled: 'David and I got out of the taxi to call our friends who live in Jurong to raise money.
'We told the taxi driver our friends have agreed to meet us at Block 272B to give us the money.
'He only had to wait about 10minutes before they arrived because they live very close to where we were.' Paul and Charles stayed in the cab.
A few minutes later, the taxi driver turned nasty although he had said earlier he didn't mind waiting.
Paul, 13, claimed he even fell asleep in the front passenger seat and woke up when he felt someone pulling at his shirt.
He said: 'I didn't know what was going on. The taxi driver pulled my shirt and he started shouting Hokkien vulgarities.'
Scared, Paul got out of the taxi and ran. David said: 'The taxi driver shouted at us, saying we shouldn't try to play the fool if we don't have enough money.'
Paul and David said the taxi driver then ran after them, to the void deck of Block 272B and into one of the lifts.
John ran after the cabby, trying to explain that his friends would arrive soon with the money.
'The taxi driver challenged us to a fight. He said he was a boxer and could take on all of us,' David said.
Paul claimed the taxi driver punched him in the stomach while they were in the lift.
He said: 'I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I was afraid he would continue to beat us up.'
David and John claimed the driver then snatched their handphones.
David said: 'He wanted us to pay $50 instead of $24. Of course he knew we didn't have the money.'
His Samsung phone cost over $100 while John's Sony Ericsson cost $280.
After that, John said he was told by the driver to borrow money from residents. But while John was on the second floor, Paul saw from the stairwell that the taxi driver walked back to the taxi and drove away.
Charles, 14, who was not in the lift, then called 999 on his handphone.
Police spokesman Liu Xiangling said they received a report of a man taking away two handphones from the boys.
Paul didn't have any visible injuries when he spoke to The New Paper.
He said: 'It felt painful then. But I was okay the next day and so I didn't see a doctor.'
Taken from the official newpaper website. -
If i'm not wrong, the New Paper published an SMS sent by one of the boys before they allegedly fled the cab.
It seems to suggest that the cabby's statement is right and the boys are lying.
Cheers.
CK -
Got to look from both sides.Why is it people always assume its the younger party that instigated it.Originally posted by CKeer:If i'm not wrong, the New Paper published an SMS sent by one of the boys before they allegedly fled the cab.
It seems to suggest that the cabby's statement is right and the boys are lying.
Cheers.
CK
-
On which day they visited Downtown East and Wild Wild Wet?
Believed they are the real trouble-makers...
Got money to go Wild Wild Wet, got no money to pay taxi uncle...
If no money, then take the MRT lah which is only about ten minutes walk from Downtown East...
Me also recently had some ugly brushes with a few groups of boys, and one of the groups seemed to match my encounter with the descriptions for attempted theft and public disorder... -
yar lor.Originally posted by Simon Dean:Got to look from both sides.Why is it people always assume its the younger party that instigated it. -
Eh, i did mention that the SMS seems to determine the credibility of both sides accounts. I did not make any baseless assumption.Originally posted by Simon Dean:Got to look from both sides.Why is it people always assume its the younger party that instigated it.
Here's the SMS:
"If like last time like that happy le cause this cab got many money"
Believe it or not, it's up to you. You can try to get yesterday's the New Paper. It was published on the 6th and 7th page.
Cheers.
CK -
I have yesterday's papers.
I dont believe it is the boys as they are too young and no guts to do that. -
-
Nowdays... all these trouble-making kids should be jailed for cheating.
it is clear from the start that they have no $$ to pay for taxis and wanted to play him out.
These kids think that we adults are idiots. i dont need to hear both stories to know who is lying. -
You do have a lot to learn in real life.Originally posted by Simon Dean:I have yesterday's papers.
I dont believe it is the boys as they are too young and no guts to do that.
cab driver is correct and boys were lying. They should be charged in court for attempted cheating and making false police report. -
I can also learn that someone is correct just because i say so.Originally posted by codename4:You do have a lot to learn in real life.
cab driver is correct and boys were lying. They should be charged in court for attempted cheating and making false police report. -
no $$$ take wat cab... they should teach these kids a real lesson...
-
brats.
-
erm.. taxi drivers so violent ?
-
Originally posted by CKeer:
And they can't explain why that sms reply is in there, and carry on sticking with their own account.
Eh, i did mention that the SMS seems to determine the credibility of both sides accounts. I did not make any baseless assumption.
Here's the SMS:
"[b]If like last time like that happy le cause this cab got many money"
Believe it or not, it's up to you. You can try to get yesterday's the New Paper. It was published on the 6th and 7th page.
Cheers.
CK[/b] -
who in their right mind would wait for the fare to hit more than $20 before they call anyone for help?
if they know there's still a distance away from the destination and they don't have enough money, they should have made the necessary arrangements way before they alighted. there's absolutely no need for everyone to "alight and call their friends for help"...
assume they made a call at the last minute when the fare is $19.90, $4 worth of ride time is more than enough if their friends stay near the destination... -
The taxi driver gave the wrong estimation.Originally posted by BrUtUs:no $$$ take wat cab... they should teach these kids a real lesson... -
i am sticking with the cab story
-
From the SMS, I also have the opinion that the boys may be somewhat lying. Granted, both sides may be lying, but I think the boys shall bear more blame than the taxi driver.
The SMS in TNP:SMS Dated: May 12 2007 1725 hours
Uncle i got money and i make police report i and my friends all sue u and make report u dun wan go jail call me and return
- An SMS sent to the handphone that "the driver" said one of the boys had given to him. The message was sent after the incident. -
i think the boys at fault..
cabbies not so violent 1.
especially against young boys. -
wth? what is the boys trying to show? they are the boss???
-
Got no money, don't take the taxi. Simple as that.
Why do kids these days seem so mentally challenged as to understand as simple concept as that? -
"If like last time like that happy le cause this cab got many money"
if the sms is like the one as above^^^
then maybe they could have find the last driver that they cheated and use him as a witness -
That $20 estimation claim is from the young punk claiming the taxi driver told him that.Originally posted by Darkness_hacker99:The taxi driver gave the wrong estimation. -
please leh give estimation sure got +/- one what. say $20 means must $20 meh? only can be less cannot be more?
i'm really glad if the cabby really did punch one of the boys. all i can say is, they deserved the punch. in the first place the boys were already in the wrong by taking the cab when they jolly well know they had no money to pay up. these boys no parents? why cannot ask money from their parents? must call friends? and why their friends so giam siap one. once give zhun zhun $20 cannot give more cannot give less?
please if these kids wanna pull a fast one do a better job next time. hopefully as mentioned again, the boy whom the cabby punched, hope he tio some internal injury from that punch