A 54-year-old taxi driver endured a terrifying attack early Sunday when a 35-year-old passenger assaulted her with such violence that he bit off part of her ear. Describing the moments of terror she experienced and the attack that took place, the driver said: “I thought I was in a cannibal movie, with a crazy cannibal.
The attack was reportedly triggered by a comment the driver made about paying for the ride. According to the taxi driver “after we reached the passenger’s house, he asked to pay by card, but the POS machine wasn’t working. He said, ‘Let’s go a little farther down, let’s go a little farther down.’ Anyway, for about 15 minutes we were trying to find a signal so it would work. I thought, ‘OK, now he’s going to get angry, get out and leave, and he won’t pay me either.’ We found a signal, he used the POS terminal, and I turned around to go back toward his house. I told him, since you know you have a problem with the signal at home, make sure you have cash.”
That remark triggered the violent attack, which the driver said nearly cost her her life.“He grabbed me by the neck, pinned me against the seat and, as I was trying to get away. He held my hand behind me and then he bit my ear. He was holding me with my ear between his teeth and his hand around my neck. I genuinely felt that it was going to be my last day. He told me, ‘Today is your last day, I’m going to kill you.’”
“They saw my severed ear and thought he had cut me with a knife”
“I couldn’t get away because he had my ear between his teeth. With my other hand I was pressing the horn and shouting, ‘Help.’ I had opened the door… I managed to pull my head away. His mouth was locked like a Labrador’s. And he cut my ear off, he bit off the outer part of my ear, he cut off the piece that was in his mouth.”
According to testimony the attacker was in such a frenzy, that he started chasing the taxi driver on the road after she managed to escape the car. It took five local residents, who came to the woman’s aid after hearing her screams, to restrain him.
“They saw my severed ear and thought he had cut me with a knife. They couldn’t fathom that my ear had been cut off by his teeth. Thank God, I’m alive…” the taxi driver exclaimed. “As I was looking around in the car, I found my severed ear. I gave it to the police, and they put it on ice in case it could be reattached, but in the end it could not be reattached, and I am left with a severed ear,” the woman concluded.
The 54-year-old was rushed to Elpis Hospital, where she received first aid and remains there for observation. Authorities arrested the 35-year-old man, who faces charges of aggravated bodily harm and making threats. He is expected to appear before a judge later on Monday.
