Woman allegedly assaulted by Nanaimo taxi driver, RCMP investigating

Nanaimo RCMP are investigating after a woman says she was assaulted by a taxi driver.

The incident allegedly took place around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 25. The woman, who’s not a Nanaimo resident, says the driver diverted from her requested destination and drove to another location.

She claims once there, the driver assaulted her. Police say she managed to fend off the driver and left the area unharmed.

“She was traumatized, she was scared, but she reacted, she fought back and she removed herself from a very dangerous situation,” said Const. Gary O’Brien in a release.

RCMP say the investigation is ongoing and are trying to identify the driver.

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“Well there are a number of taxis in our town, a number of agencies that do provide taxi services, so we are following up with them, they’ve been very cooperative,” added O’Brien.

He recommends people to call for a cab instead of hailing one so there’s a record of the trip.

He also said people should take a picture of the licence plate, taxi number and the driver’s taxi licence if possible.

Police say people should sit in the back seat instead of the front when possible, and are asking people who are intoxicated to avoid getting into a cab alone.