Taxi driver beaten after stopping passenger from smoking
AM730 · 3 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
A 24-year-old taxi driver surnamed Tam was attacked after picking up a man on Sai Yeung Choi Street and driving toward Kowloon City Plaza on the night of November 10. Police believe the dispute began when the passenger, described as about 40 years old, smoked inside the taxi and the driver tried to stop him. The driver was left bleeding from the mouth and nose and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, while the suspect fled the scene. The case has been classified as assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and officers are searching for the passenger.
Key Points
- The incident happened at about 11:35pm on November 10, after Tam, 24, picked up the passenger on Sai Yeung Choi Street.
- The taxi was heading to Kowloon City Plaza when the passenger allegedly smoked inside the vehicle, triggering an argument with the driver.
- Video circulating online appears to show the taxi stopped on Junction Road near Prince Edward Road West, with a man in white attacking the driver.
- Reports say the attacker opened the front right-side door, tried to drag the driver out, and repeatedly struck his head with elbows and punches.
- Under Hong Kong's Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, smoking on taxis and other public transport is banned and carries a fixed penalty of HK$3,000
Why It Matters
The case underlines the risks frontline public transport workers face when enforcing basic rules inside confined spaces such as taxi cabins. It also draws attention to two separate legal issues in one incident: the smoking ban on public transport and the criminal consequences of violence that causes visible injury