October 30, 2006
Cab driver thwarts thief before car plunges down banks of Lachine Canal
A Montreal cabbie almost ended up in the Lachine Canal yesterday as he fought off a knife-wielding man who tried to rob him.
When the man brandished a knife and said: "This is a holdup," the driver accelerated and began scuffling with the would-be robber, who was in the cab's back seat.
When he reached de la Verendrye Blvd., the cabbie lost control of his vehicle, crashed through a fence and guardrail and came to a stop just a few feet from the canal.
"Another few feet and the car would have been totally submerged," said Montreal police Constable Robert Mansueto.
After the accident, the would-be thief, 23, was pinned under the vehicle and had to be rescued by firefighters.
He was treated in a hospital for a serious leg injury.
Mansueto said he didn't know how the man's leg became trapped under the car.
The taxi driver had picked up the man and his girlfriend, 19, at the intersection of Rene Levesque Blvd. and Sanguinet St. in downtown Montreal shortly before 2 a.m.
The couple asked to be taken to an address in LaSalle. But while en route, the male passenger pulled out a knife and demanded money.
The driver accelerated in an attempt to attract attention, but lost control of the car, Mansueto said.
The 23-year-old will be charged with conspiracy, possession of a weapon and attempted robbery.
His girlfriend,who was not injured in the accident, also faces charges of attempted robbery and conspiracy.
The taxi driver suffered a sore neck.
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