A violent incident unfolded in Manhattan on Monday night when a drunken assailant attacked a taxi driver and stole his cab, taking it on a reckless joyride through the city streets. The perpetrator, identified as 25-year-old Mame Gueye from the Bronx, got into a heated altercation with the 47-year-old cabbie at East 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Gramercy Park after his credit card was declined.

Following the dispute, the taxi driver demanded that Gueye exit the vehicle, which he initially complied with. However, things took a dangerous turn as Gueye became aggressive, pushing the driver out of the car, striking him in the stomach and chest, and choking him before ultimately driving off in the yellow taxi.

Law enforcement officers, accompanied by the victim, were able to track down the stolen Toyota to East 79th Street and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, where Gueye had crashed into a parked vehicle. Attempting to flee the scene on foot, Gueye was pursued by police and eventually apprehended at East 79th Street and Park Avenue.

Gueye now faces a slew of charges, including second-degree robbery, grand larceny auto, aggravated unlicensed operator, driving while intoxicated, criminal obstruction of breathing, obstruction of governmental administration, and third-degree assault. Fortunately, the taxi driver sustained injuries during the attack but did not require hospitalization.

Notably, this is not Gueye’s first brush with the law, as he has a prior arrest for driving while intoxicated in March 2023. The swift and decisive action taken by the NYPD resulted in the apprehension of the suspect and the recovery of the stolen vehicle, ensuring that justice will be served in this troubling case.