Quebec City taxi driver says he was attacked with stun gun by UberX driver
Taxi driver says UberX driver threatened to 'rip his head off' with stun gun
Quebec City taxi driver Issam Aloui says he was threatened with an electronic stun gun by an UberX driver on Tuesday after a fender bender at the local airport.
Aloui said in an interview he dropped some passengers at Jean Lesage airport when another fast-moving vehicle cut him off suddenly and he hit the vehicle's rear bumper.
There was no apparent damage to either vehicle, he said. When he tried to discuss the situation with the other driver, the man started yelling obscenities and then approached his vehicle.
"He came right in my face with what I'm pretty sure was a stun gun. He said, 'I'm going to rip your head off with this,'" Aloui said.
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Aloui said he screamed for help and the man quickly fled in his vehicle. He then reported the incident to police.
He said he hasn't had a problem with Uber drivers in the past and the incident has left him shaken.
"I'm in shock. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't get this out of my head," he said.
Investigation underway
Aloui said he had no idea the man was an UberX driver until police told him later in the day. He said investigators also told him that the man had turned himself in late Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Quebec City police would only say they have opened an investigation into an incident involving drivers from two transport companies. She could not confirm if the second driver involved was with UberX.
No one from Uber was available to comment.
Heightened tensions
Abdallah Homsy, spokesperson for the Regroupement des intermédiaires du taxi de Quebec, a group that represents 1,200 Quebec City taxi drivers, blamed the provincial government for the incident.
Homsy said the province's failure to crack down on illegal UberX drivers has exacerbated tensions.
"It's becoming more and more dangerous and people are under pressure," Homsy said.
He called on the province to hire more inspectors to crack down on the ride-hailing service.