CHICAGO (CBS) — A taxi driver making a left turn apparently struck a pedestrian on Michigan Avenue on Wednesday–and kept right on going.
A You Tube video posted by Scott Raymond on Tuesday shows the cab traveling east on Lake Street and making a turn north onto Michigan Avenue.
The clip doesn’t show the impact but does capture the man spinning around to get out of the way. He then chases the driver down Michigan Avenue, but the taxi drives away.
Making matters even more interesting, the video was posted on the Chicago Reddit page, where the victim saw it and posted this response.
“HOLY S—T! This was me!” Reddit user Matt Lemmenes, wrote. “I was crossing right there at Lake and Michigan to go to my house, and he clipped my right leg.
“I am 6’9″ and gave chase. … Thank you so much for posting this. I literally screamed at my [girlfriend] when I saw this.
“He sat there honking his horn at crossing pedestrians. Then tried to go to early and clipped me.”
Lemennes told CBS that he plans to file a police report and has contacted the cab company. He said he was not injured and isn’t seeking to profit from the incident, but simply wants cab drivers held accountable for their actions.
The cab No. 1258 is a 2009 Toyota Hybrid owned by Grasu Cab Co., according the City of Chicago records.
“I suspect that the taxi clipped him while he was crossing in the crosswalk, but the video isn’t at the right angle to tell for sure,” Raymond said on Reddit. “Why else would he give chase like that?”
A video posted on You Tube, apparently from the cab’s camera, shows this:
The CFO of the cab company, Gary Sakata, said he has not yet seen the first video, but plans to investigate the incident.
–John Dodge, CBS Chicago
