Yellowknife taxi driver charged with assault on passenger
48-year-old Matar Mahamed Mahamud faces charge of assault in connection with July 24 incident
Yellowknife RCMP say they have charged a local taxi driver with assault in relation to a widely-publicized incident in which a resident says he was attacked after being refused a ride to a bank machine to pay his fare.
Matar Mahamed Mahamud, 48, has been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm, the RCMP said Wednesday in a news release.
The incident happened in the early morning hours of July 24 and received significant attention on social media after the alleged victim, Angus Durrie of Yellowknife, posted on Facebook that he was repeatedly punched in the face by a cab driver. He said he told the driver he didn't have cash to pay his fare and claimed the driver refused to take him to an ATM to withdraw cash.
Durrie was taken to the hospital with two black eyes, and was treated and released that day.
Mahamud will make his first appearance in territorial court September 19.