Suspect Arrested In Carjacking, Slashing Of Cabbie In Aurora

AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- An Aurora taxi driver won't forget this 4th of July anytime soon. He picked up a fare early Thursday morning, and within minutes the driver's throat had been slashed, and his taxi had been stolen.

CBS 2's Mike Parker spoke to the victim, who might have been killed if he hadn't jumped out of the driver's seat and ran off to call police as his attacker drove off in the cab.

"He says 'Park behind this SUV,' and then he … had the knife up against my neck," the wounded driver said. He asked to remain anonymous.

Police arrived at the intersection of 4th and Spring streets within minutes of the carjacking.

"He was bleeding from his neck, holding a rag up to his neck, trying to stop the bleeding," Aurora Police Sgt. Matt Thomas said.

The incident began around 4 a.m., as the driver responded to a fare call at a Speedway gas station in Naperville. At first, the man said he wanted to be taken to the Hollywood Casino in downtown Aurora, then changed his mind and had the cabbie take him to a more secluded neighborhood about a half mile away.

When they stopped, the man reached around and placed a knife to the cabbie's throat.

"He said that he had had a bad day, which we all do, and then he had the knife at my neck," the cabbie said.

It could have been worse. The driver lost only a small amount of blood in the attack, and he briefly lost his taxi, a 2005 Dodge Caravan.

He said his family is concerned for his safety.

"They've always been worried about me driving a cab anyway," he said.

A suspect was arrested late Thursday afternoon behind the wheel of that stolen Eagle taxicab. He was slightly injured when the cab collided with an Aurora police squad car during the chase that led to the arrest.