Although Amadu Rahaman had a master’s degree in economics, his family says he loved driving a taxi because he could make his own schedule. Rahaman, who emigrated from Ghana to the U.S., used the money he earned over the course of more than 40 years driving a taxi to put his two daughters through college. Sadly, the “American Dream” came to an abrupt end for Rahaman in Dec. when he was attacked in his cab by an angry customer, police said.
Police said Rahaman picked up 36-year-old Malachi Cintron at around 3:00am on Dec. 13 in Greenwich Village. Cintron asked to be dropped off in the Bronx, but Rahaman said he couldn’t go that far. Cintron then allegedly attacked the driver, punching him repeatedly and throwing him out of the car. Rahaman, 75, was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries, and died three days later, on Dec. 16.
Police arrested Cintron at the scene, charging him with assault in the second and third degrees. Rahaman was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was conscious enough to give doctors his daughter’s name and phone number, Ayisha Rahaman recalled. But by the time she arrived, he’d slipped out of consciousness and never woke up. An autopsy concluded blunt-force trauma to the head caused his demise.
Rahaman’s daughters said they hope Cintron will face upgraded charges in the wake of their father’s death. Assaulting a Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) driver is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
“This was a hardworking man with an excellent driving record, working late nights at an age when most of us think about retirement,” said TLC Chair David Do. “He deserved so much better.”
Source: Gothamist
