Attacked a taxi driver with a paving stone and tried to rob him! "I didn't realize because he had a clean face"
In the Karabağlar district of İzmir, a robber who got into a taxi struck the 62-year-old taxi driver on the head with a paving stone.
İHA
In İzmir, 30-year veteran taxi driver Selim Keleş (62) picked up a passenger near the İzmir Chamber of Drivers and Automobile Tradesmen in the Karabağlar district last Tuesday evening. He was then subjected to a paving stone attack by A.T., who had asked him to stop the vehicle in the Gediz neighborhood of the Buca district. After the terrifying moments, Keleş was taken to the hospital where he received 7 stitches to his head. While driver Keleş is still in shock from the incident, the attacker, who fled the scene, was apprehended in a short time by Buca District Police Department teams thanks to the camera inside the vehicle. A.T. was referred to the courthouse after his statement procedures and was arrested by the court.
“I DIDN'T REALIZE HE WAS A BAD PERSON BECAUSE HE HAD A CLEAN FACE”
“While I was waiting for a passenger in front of the chamber, a friend came and said he wanted to go to Gediz,” said 62-year-old taxi driver Selim Keleş, “After I told him how much the fare might be, he got into the vehicle with a black bag in his hand. I didn't realize he was a bad person because he had a clean face. When we went to Gediz, he gave me directions. When we entered a street, he said he would get off. When I pressed the button for the vehicle's interior light to collect the fare, he hit me on the head with a stone at that moment. As soon as he hit me with the stone, I grabbed it from his hand and threw it, not giving him a chance to hit me a second time. Then a struggle ensued between us. His goal was to kill me by premeditation and planning. He tried to put his hand in my pocket to take the money. We are in a very victimized situation right now. I cannot go out on the street right now out of fear. I even go to get my dressing done while looking behind me out of fear. Please, let a precaution be taken for this so that our other friends do not get harmed,” he stated.
“WHEN THE BLOOD LOSS WAS HEAVY, I CALLED THE TAXI STAND”
Explaining what he went through after the incident, Keleş said, “I tried to pull myself together. I stepped on the gas for fear that he would intervene from behind. When the blood loss was heavy, I called the taxi stand, and my friends at the stand, thank God, called an ambulance. Along with the ambulance, 4-5 taxi driver friends also came and carried me to the hospital. I received 7 stitches to my head. I want him to receive the necessary punishment. I heard that the person was caught. May no other friend suffer like this, please let what is necessary be done,” he said.
On the other hand, stating that he will not be able to work for 1 month, Keleş added that he had never experienced such an incident in his 30-year professional life and that he is in shock.
“BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD A CAMERA, IT WAS EASY TO IDENTIFY THE SUSPECT”
Stating that they are saddened by the robbery attempt and attack on one of their colleagues, İzmir Chamber of Drivers and Automobile Tradesmen President Celil Anık said, “The suspect has been caught. We are pleased with this. Of course, there is an important reason for his capture. Our place here is open 24/7. We have staff here day and night. We have a tracking system in our 3,000 vehicles in İzmir. Apart from this, we also have cameras in approximately 1,200 of our vehicles. Because the vehicle boarded had a camera, it was easy to identify the suspect and he was caught. I hope he receives the necessary punishment. This stems from the infrastructure we established earlier. That is, in such incidents, the police come here and look at where the vehicle went. We are working jointly with the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and the İzmir Police Department on this issue. That is why it was good for us that this case was solved in a short time,” he said.
“ALL OUR VEHICLES WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH CAMERAS WITHIN 6 MONTHS”
Mentioning the importance of the cameras installed inside and outside the vehicles, Anık said, “What happened in the incident our friend experienced is clearly visible. The police also watched the footage and caught the suspect. A few days ago, there was a child abduction incident at Tepecik Training and Research Hospital. The woman who abducted the child, who was reflected in the vehicle camera of our friends at the taxi stand, was caught through this means. It is clear how useful the cameras are. God willing, all our vehicles will be equipped with cameras within 6 months,” he said.