Disturbed man stabs taxi driver after Hague police send him away

A disturbed man that stabbed a taxi driver in The Hague on Sunday, did so shortly after leaving a police station. Security at the police station called the taxi to pick the man up and drop him off at a shelter, taxi central HTMC manager Ron Karsters said to AD.

Taxi driver Said (54) went to pick the man up. On the way he asked to be dropped off somewhere else. "That was said in a calm, friendly manner. There was no reason to think that something was wrong."

On De Savornin Lohmanlaan the disturbed man suddenly started stabbing Said. The taxi driver tried to run away, but got stuck in his seat-belt. He finally did manage to escape the disturbed passenger, but not before sustaining stab wounds on his head, arm and back.

After the stabbing, the police found the disturbed man in just his underpants on sport association Quick's field. Shots were fired during the arrest, and the suspect was hit several times. He is currently in a secure ward in a hospital.

It is unclear why the suspect was at the police station in the first place.

The stabbing shocked Said's colleagues. "Everyone is pretty upset by it", Karsters said to AD. "This makes you realize again how vulnerable you are as a taxi driver. Luckily he survived. But it will be some time before he can get back to work."