An elderly Indian cab driver succumbed to his injuries after being dragged out of his taxi and beaten by a customer in London last week.
64-year-old Vijay Bhatia was allegedly assaulted by one of the two passengers in his cab in a parking lot of a convenience store in south-west London in the early hours of Saturday.
The police said officers responded to an incident of assault and found Mr Bhatia in the parking lot with no vital signs. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police arrested 23-year-old Cody Perkin and charged him with one count of second-degree murder. He has also been charged in relation to another person who sustained minor injuries not requiring medical treatment, police said.
Mr Bhatia was an industry veteran of over twenty years and well-known among the city’s cabbies.
Jason Kukurudziak, owner of the taxi company Mr Bhatia worked with was able to provide the investigators with the video footage recorded by the internal camera of the cab.
“The cameras did its job. They have beautiful pictures of the guy who was in the front seat with Vijay. I didn't want to see the content, but wanted to make sure the pictures were good," he told CTV News.
“I am so upset, he was in the business a long, long time.
"This was a senseless, needless, murder. It's disgusting,” he added.
An eyewitness living in an apartment across the street from the place where the incident occurred said,
“I watched a guy get pulled out of his cab and beaten to death.
“It was horrible, I feel disgusted by what I saw,” said the eyewitness.
"It is really sad...I'm sorry, I've known him for nearly 20 years," said Savehilaghi, a friend of Mr Bhatia.
"It is a risky job, it is very stressful," added Savehilaghi.
