Police say a 23-year-old London man is facing a second-degree murder charge after the body of a taxi driver was found early Saturday in a convenience store parking lot in the city’s southwest.
Officers responding to an assault call at 925 Wonderland Rd. S. around 1 a.m. located a male, identified as Vijay Bhatia, 64, of London, without vital signs. Paramedics transported him to hospital where he was pronounced deceased, police said.
Investigators say Bhatia, a veteran cab driver for more than 20 years, had picked up two passengers and allege he was assaulted by one of them after driving the pair to the parking lot.
They say both of the passengers were located and taken into custody, but one was later released without charges.
Police have charged Cody Perkin, 23, of London with one count of second-degree murder in Bhatia’s death.
Police say Perkin faces additional charges of assault and uttering threats in relation to a separate alleged victim, who sustained minor injuries.
Perkin was remanded into custody, police said.
– With files from The Canadian Press