Taxi driver drives cars in Cologne targeting women
An apparent mentally ill taxi driver speeds through Cologne's old town and targets unsuspecting female pedestrians. Several women are struck by his vehicle and injured. The brave intervention of a witness likely prevented worse.
An apparently drug-impaired taxi driver in Cologne struck and injured several people on Monday evening. Two women, aged 22 and 27, were hospitalized with serious injuries, while two others, aged 23 and 25, sustained minor injuries. A man who attempted to stop the driver was also injured.
Witnesses reported that the taxi driver deliberately targeted his victims in the old town, first striking two women head-on in the Bechergasse near Cologne Cathedral and the Old Market. He then drove towards the Rhine, striking two more women near a local brewery, while a third woman managed to escape by jumping aside.
A 34-year-old waiter from the brewery witnessed the incident and pursued the taxi on foot. When the taxi approached him, he was struck by the side mirror and sustained minor injuries. Despite this, he managed to detain the driver until police arrived.
The 44-year-old driver from Velbert was found to have consumed cocaine and cannabis. Cocaine was also found in the taxi. He was taken to a psychiatric clinic after his arrest and is believed to be mentally ill, according to a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office.
Earlier that evening, the same taxi had struck a 50-year-old woman in Essen, leaving her with life-threatening injuries. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the same driver was involved. Authorities have not yet classified the incident as an act of terrorism or attempted murder, and the legal classification is still pending.
In the same disturbing incident, the taxicab responsible for the attacks was registered in Velbert, near Cologne. After the incident, the driver was admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Cologne, continuing his treatment in the city where the chaos started in the old town of Cologne.
