An off-duty officer was arrested Friday evening after allegedly punching a cab driver in the face. According to City Room, officer Sidney Garcia attempted to hail a cab for himself and four others in Murray Hill around 11:20 p.m. The cabbie refused, saying that having five passengers would violate TLC rules. Apparently too angry to even consider taking two cabs, Garcia allegedly hit the cab driver in the face.
The cabbie drove away after the encounter, but then found Garcia's ID and shield inside the cab and contacted the police. Garcia was arrested the next day, and has been stripped of his badge, which is convenient since he left it in the cab anyway. TLC spokesman Allan J. Fromberg said the rules for riding in a cab are simple. “Our rules restrict the number of passengers to the number of seat belts available."
