Woman stabs taxi driver with needle, steals cab: Mission RCMP

A taxi that was allegedly stolen Friday night is seen in this image handed out by the Mission RCMP.

Mounties in Mission say a woman assaulted a taxi driver and stole his vehicle on Friday night, and are asking for witnesses to come forward.

Just before 11 p.m., a taxi driver and passenger arrived in the Kubo Drive area, where there was a dispute about the cab fare, according to police.

The passenger allegedly stabbed the driver with a needle, then got into the driver’s seat and drove away, dragging the taxi driver “a short distance,” police said.

“This was a senseless act of violence over what appears to have been a dispute over a taxi fare,” said Cpl. Harrison Mohr with the Mission RCMP in a news release Saturday.

The 61-year-old driver sought help at a home nearby and was taken to hospital with injuries. He has since been released.

Officers then found the taxi abandoned on Best Avenue near Cedar Street. A police dog led officers to a home on Kudo Drive, where a suspect—who police describe as a white woman in her mid-30s—was detained. She was later released pending further investigation, police said.

“Our officers are in the process of gathering additional evidence to help confirm the identity of the female. If you saw any part of this – either the altercation with the taxi driver, or the female fleeing from the taxi on Best Avenue, please give us a call,” Mohr continued.

“We would also like to thank drivers and residents in the area for their patience while we were searching for the offender last night. Keeping people out of the area for a short time helped the police dog to get a good track and find important evidence.”

Mounties are asking people who live in the areas of Kudo Drive and Fujino Street, the 32600 and 32700 block of Best Avenue, and the block of Cedar Street north of Best Avenue to check their security camera footage from Friday night. Anyone with information can call the Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161.