Two knife attacks on Red Deer taxi drivers in the last few weeks have police working hard to solve the crimes, and drivers and owners wondering what more they could do to combat the brazen attacks.
Const. Sabrina Grunow of city RCMP said police had no suspects after the latest attack about 5:50 a.m. on Wednesday.
She said police treat these attacks very seriously because taxi drivers who are on the job at all hours are vulnerable.
“You have to look at their safety as paramount.”
They have onboard cameras that help, and putting up barriers between the front and back seats may help, and fortunately there haven’t been a lot of incidents, Grunow said.
The Alberta Gold Taxi driver was stabbed near 44th Street and 48th Avenue and suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
John Whittingham, co-owner of Alberta Gold, said the driver will remain in hospital for a few days.
“He was hurt pretty bad. It was close, but he’s stable now,” Whittingham said. “He was just at the end of his shift. He’s a really nice man . . . a peach.
“He would never give you any grief. We’re trying to do what we can for him.”
Whittingham paid tribute to the police, who responded quickly in full force, with a dog team and forensic identification unit.
“I can’t say enough about the police and how they’ve kept us informed all the way along here on this,” Whittingham said.
Grunow said police at this point haven’t been able to link Wednesday’s attack to one in early April in north Red Deer. In that incident, a man estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old emerged from an Oriole Park house and entered the backseat of an Associated Cab taxi.
He told the driver he was waiting for a couple of women to join him.
However, he pulled out a knife and held it to the back of the driver’s neck and demanded money.
The cabbie suffered a slight cut on the back of his neck. The suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Whittingham said drivers don’t want to use barriers because it makes the ride so impersonal.
He said Edmonton cab companies don’t have barriers even after several attacks on cabbies there.
“To be honest, I don’t know what the answer is,” Whittingham said.
A cabbie who didn’t want his name or company used said later Wednesday that the stabbing incidents have shaken the drivers.
“Sometimes you’re just not sure who to pick up in the late hours.
“It’s a hard shift to work because there’s not a lot of fares and there’s so many creeps out at that time.
“You just try to be as careful as possible and hope your shift goes quietly.”
The stabbing suspect in Wednesday’s incident is described as a Caucasian male, about 1.8 metres tall (six feet). He was wearing a grey, hooded sweater with a zipper.
Grunow said police haven’t linked the two incidents but are exploring all avenues.
Anyone with information can call police at 403-343-5575 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com