Cabbie accused of extorting tip from Bellaire woman
KENNER, LA
The victim, a 57-year-old woman from Bellaire, Texas, took a
taxi Friday from a downtown New Orleans hotel to the Louis
Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the Jefferson Parish
Sheriff's Office said.
According to The Times-Picayune, the woman told deputies that
she confirmed before the ride that a credit card would be accepted
for the standard $33 fare. But when she arrived, the driver told
her he also would be adding a 10 percent tip, according to an
investigative report.
The driver refused her demand to unlock the doors and get her
baggage, deputies said. After a 30-minute argument, with the heat
rising inside the cab, the woman said she called authorities on her
cell phone. A deputy found her crying hysterically, shaking and
sweating.
According to the deputy's report, Kahn initially said that the
10 percent tip was actually to cover the credit card transaction
fee. But the deputy later confirmed that such fees are not charged
to passengers, and drivers are responsible for their own fees, the
report said.
The sheriff's office said Sohail Kahn, 37, of Kenner, was booked
with extortion and false imprisonment and his cab permit was seized
by the New Orleans taxi regulators.
Kahn could not be reached for comment Wednesday by The
Associated Press because he has no listed phone number.
