We finally have some good news....yesterday, the Lisson Grove thieving muggers, picked on the wrong Taxi driver and not only got the hell knocked out of them by a cabby (former ex-army bodyguard), but the police managed to arrest 4 of these despicable lowlifes.
Great news...and leads nicely into this story from Cabby Ray McGarry:
Around 1:30 am on Thursday morning, Ray dropped a lady passenger off at South End Green in Hampstead. As he cleared his meter, his attention was drawn to four fully naked men frantically waving (their arms) at him, screaming for help.
Ray's first thought was to lock his doors, but the four pleaded with him to let them in the Taxi, saying they had been attacked by a pack of machete wielding muggers.
The muggers had threatened the four men (all in their 20's) telling them to hand over phones, watches, wallets car keys and unbelievably, all their clothing.
Ray let the four into his cab and pulled away to a safe location, where he phoned the police on 999.
Amazingly, it took the police well over 15 minutes to arrive (which, when you're in this predicament....would seem like eternity). Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived, the attackers were probably at home, sorting out who was having what phone, who was getting the Rolex and who wanted Nikes.
Ray said:
"When the police van arrived, the police jumped out and surrounded the cab like something out of Starsky and Hutch, and I could see them really struggling to keep a straight face".
The victims were escorted out of the cab and into the van, to be taken to the station. Ray's details were recorded and he was allowed to go on his way.
It's getting serious out there, with Cabbies being robbed, mugged, attacked....cabs being broken into and even stolen. So with this in mind, it's even more important to keep yourself secure.
There's an old Cabby saying, if in doubt....keep them out.