By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 28, 2011 – Three youths got a bit of a surprise when they learned their pictures may have been on their Facebook page but it was also captured by a taxi driver who one of the three punched in the face hard enough to require hospitalization..
The three hailed a taxi-cab in the area of Cumberland Avenue and New Street, Burlington and were driven to their destination in the area of New Street and Appleby Line. The taxi driver asked for payment. The passengers became belligerent and it was apparent that they were not going to pay the fare. The taxi driver turned his head to speak with the passengers in the back seat and was immediately punched in the face by one of the passengers. All three passengers then fled on foot.
With video surveillance in taxis now - they get to see the bad stuff and the funny stuff and if you're up to funny stuff - who owns that image?
The cab was equipped with video surveillance equipment that provided footage of all three suspects. The footage assisted police in identifying the suspects. On November 25th, a 17-year-old Burlington youth was arrested and charged with:
• Assault Causing Bodily Harm
• Transportation Fraud
• Fail to Comply with YCJA Probation
The remaining youths, 15 and 17 years of age from Burlington, are being investigated for Transportation Fraud. That footage will be shown in court – it will not be a pleasant day for the youths.
In this case the video surveillance helped solve a crime – but it appears as if the thing is on all the time. Care to guess what the cab drivers will be watching when they get together socially?
[face]
