Cabbie freaks out and takes undercover cops on wild ride after being busted for overcharging

Screengrab via Apple Daily video.
Screengrab via Apple Daily video.

It’s pretty hard to shake the cops in a car chase around Hong Kong island; it’s harder still if the officers are in your backseat.

But, alas, that didn’t stop one taxi driver from trying something of the sort after being caught overcharging undercover cops.

The 60-year-old cabbie, surnamed Ho, led police on a chase from Admiralty all the way to Chai Wan and back again.

Separating it from your more conventional car chase scenarios, however, was the fact that the undercover officers Ho had tried to overcharge remained in the backseat for the entire journey.

It all started about 3am, according to Ming Pao, when Ho attempted to slug the pair HK$150 (US$19) for what should have been a HK$40 (US$5) ride between D’Aguilar Street in Lan Kwai Fong and the Shangri-La Hotel in Admiralty.

As Ho sorted out the change, the pair revealed their identities and prepared for the arrest. Ho, however, didn’t want to go quietly, the opposite in fact.

According to Ming Pao, he freaked out, stepped on the gas and drove east, taking Hennessy Road through Wan Chai and the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) expressway towards Chai Wan, where he circled a roundabout and headed back west.

He was eventually stopped in North Point’s Hing Fat Street, with the force sending out four police cars in response to a call for reinforcements by the officers in the backseat.

The cabbie was arrested, having breached a number of traffic regulations including cutting double white lines, speeding, and driving through red lights.

A police spokesperson confirmed to Coconuts HK that the charges include overcharging, resisting arrest, and not displaying the taxi meter correctly.

At least two witnesses shouldn’t be hard to find.



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