Charlotte, NC — Hooked up to several machines, lying in a hospital bed barely able to move, Melaku Gebreyesus says there is only one reason he's still alive. "God sent the angel for me." Stiches and staples are literally holding him together. Last week he was sliced across the throat and stabbed repeatedly by a passenger.

The night started like any other for him. He picked up a man and a woman at a taxi stand in Uptown Charlotte. They told him they needed to pick up a friend in Myers Park before heading to a movie. As soon as the woman got out on Queens Road East to allegedly get her friend, Gebreyesus says the man pulled a knife. Unable to defend himself after being stabbed, Gebreyesus tried to squirm and somehow found his door handle. But his fingers were too cut up to dial 911, so he tried flagging down a car. "The first car passed me. The next [one] I fell down in the middle of the street."

A passerby called for help and police began a manhunt for the suspect. Akim Lockwood was later found and will remain in jail through at least December 27. That is when his bond hearing is scheduled.

Making things even worse for Gebreyesus, he tells us he has no health insurance.

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