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Connecticut Resident Takes Road Less Traveled In Refusing To Pay Cab Fare (Update)

While Charles Martin, too, passed out in the back of his taxi on the ride home, like his brother in arms, upon coming to he merely questioned the sexuality of the officers on the scene before threatening what would happen if they came any closer. A city man with more than $1,300 in his pocket was charged Thursday morning with trying to snub a taxicab driver out a $43 fare, police said. Charles Martin, 35, of 15 School St., Norwalk, was charged with sixth-degree larceny and resisting arrest and was held in lieu of $1,000 bond. Norwalk police Sgt. Lisa Cotto said a Stamford cab driver showed up at police headquarters just after 3:30 a.m. Thursday complaining that he had a man in his cab refusing to pay the fare from the Stamford train station to the man's School Street home. When police went to the cab, Martin was asleep and appeared drunk, telling them to leave him alone, Cotto said After he was arrested, police found $1,353 in cash in his pocket, Cotto said. Unhappy with being arrested for trying to stiff the cabbie, Martin allegedly warned the police officers -- who he also said were gay -- what would happen when they removed the cuffs from his hands. No word on what that was but odds it involved a pen knife are high. Cops: Man with $1,300 in pocket refused to pay $43 cab fare [Stamford Advocate] Related: Banking Exec Maintains Innocence Re: Stabbing Cab Driver
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While Charles Martin, too, passed out in the back of his taxi on the drive home and, like his brother in arms, awoke unhappy and surprised to learn he was required to pay for his ride, upon coming to he merely questioned the sexuality of the officers on the scene before threatening what would happen if they came any closer.

A city man with more than $1,300 in his pocket was charged Thursday morning with trying to snub a taxicab driver out a $43 fare, police said. Charles Martin, 35, of 15 School St., Norwalk, was charged with sixth-degree larceny and resisting arrest and was held in lieu of $1,000 bond. Norwalk police Sgt. Lisa Cotto said a Stamford cab driver showed up at police headquarters just after 3:30 a.m. Thursday complaining that he had a man in his cab refusing to pay the fare from the Stamford train station to the man's School Street home.

When police went to the cab, Martin was asleep and appeared drunk, telling them to leave him alone, Cotto said. After he was arrested, police found $1,353 in cash in his pocket, Cotto said. Unhappy with being arrested for trying to stiff the cabbie, Martin allegedly warned the police officers -- who he also said were gay -- what would happen when they removed the cuffs from his hands.

No word on what that was but odds it involved a pen knife are high.

Update: "Police said they told Martin, who was inebriated, he had to pay the fare, but he refused, saying, 'I don't care who you are.' Police said he wanted to sleep, refused to get out of the cab, punched an officer and said, 'It's on now.' Police held a Taser to him and pulled the trigger, a dry stun. Martin continued his uncooperative behavior in the holding cell, Cotto said."

Cops: Man with $1,300 in pocket refused to pay $43 cab fare [Stamford Advocate]
Related: Banking Exec Maintains Innocence Re: Stabbing Cab Driver
Norwalk Man Charged in Taxi Disturbance [Norwalk via TDS]

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Morgan Stanley Exec Who "Accidentally" Stabbed Cab Driver After Difference Of Opinion Re: Fare Gets Off (Update)

Remember William Bryan Jennings? To recap, he's the Morgan Stanley executive who last December had a cab take him home to Darien, Connecticut from Manhattan and, according to the driver, refused to pay the $200 fare and instead began threatening the guy with racial slurs before intentionally stabbing his hand with a pen knife. According to WBJ's lawyer, the stabbing did happen but it was by accident and Jennings only pulled out the knife he had on him because he was "fearful for his safety" and "did not intend to hurt" the driver. The two parted ways around midnight, at which time Jennings went to bed and the cabbie called the police, who had trouble identifying WBJ until they got a lucky break with video footage from the deli on 10th Avenue he asked the driver to stop at for snacks on the way to CT. Anyway, Jennings, who was placed on leave from Morgan Stanley in March, was set to appear in court on Monday but then this happened: Connecticut prosecutors will not pursue charges against a top Morgan Stanley banker accused of stabbing a cabby in a drunken, racist rage over a fare from Manhattan, the cabby’s lawyer said yesterday. The decision to let W. Bryan Jennings off the hook has left the cabby “outraged,” his lawyer said. Jennings, from the ritzy Gold Coast town of Darien, had originally been charged with assault, theft of service and intimidation based on race or bigotry after the December 2011 incident. But Hassan Ahmad, the lawyer for cabby Mohamed Ammar, said Stamford prosecutors have told him they’re dropping the case...Jennings’ lawyer would not comment, and the State’s Attorney’s Office in Stamford could not be reached. No word on whether or not there's still a place for him at the House of Gorman. Earlier: Morgan Stanley Exec “Accidentally” Stabs Cab Driver After Difference Of Opinion Re: Fare

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William Bryan Jennings is the co-head of North American fixed-income capital markets at Morgan Stanley, though his responsibilities have been passed onto a coworker for the time being until a particular matter is "resolved." That matter would be a cab ride he took on the evening of December 22, which resulted in Jennings being charged with "second-degree assault, theft of services and second-degree intimidation based on race or bigotry." At present, there are two conflicting stories about what happened. According to the cabbie, Jennings was driven from Manhattan to his home in Darien, CT, at which point he refused to pay the $200 cab fare and instead began "threatening the driver and using racial slurs," before intentionally stabbing the guy's hand with a "pen knife" that he "uses for fishing." According to Jennings' lawyer, upon arriving at in Connecticut, WBJ, who colleagues have described as the "nicest guy you'll meet," was appalled to learn of the "exorbitant amount" the driver was charging (which WBJ claims had been upped to $300). After refusing to pay, the driver supposedly told Jennings he was "going to take him back to the city," at which point Jennings pulled out the pen knife he had on him and "demanded to be let out of the car because he was fearful for his safety," cutting the driver who WBJ "did not intend to hurt" after he put his hand through the dividing window. Jennings' lawyer has 1) denied the racial slurs and 2) said it's “mind-boggling" that his client was charged and not the other way around (though, according to reports, the driver called the police at 12:30am to report the incident, and Jennings never did). As none of us were there at the time, we should refrain from speculating as to which half of the he said/he said is telling the truth. Though clearly there are a couple of important takeaways here, including but not limited to the fact that if one is going to snub the Metro North, one should expect to pay, figuratively but more so literally. Manhattan to Connecticut? I've had rides from the UWS to Midtown East cost upwards of $40. Let's not do this dance.

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