Taxi driver charged with assault after Indigenous man claims he was thrown to the ground

David James Taylor says he's "extremely shocked" after an alleged assault by a taxi driver when he was walking home from the Tillicum Shopping Centre in Victoria on Tuesday afternoon.

Taylor said a bright green cab from the company Victoria Taxi nearly hit him as it drove through a "clearly marked" stop sign at a crosswalk. Taylor said the driver then stepped out and an argument ensued.

"He picked me up off the ground and literally threw me backwards. I landed on my back … and hit my head on the road," he said.

Taylor, an Indigenous man, said the driver was shouting racial slurs, "making reference to me wanting money and being homeless."

He said the driver then returned to his vehicle and began to drive away, but returned after Taylor took a photo of the cab and phoned the police, who arrived within minutes.

Man charged with assault

Const. Markus Anastasiades of the Saanich Police confirmed that police responded to a call just after 4 p.m. PT and spoke with two people. One man was charged with assault but his name was not released.

"A cab driver was arrested yesterday afternoon for assault," according to a police statement. "The driver ... was later released with a promise to appear in court in March." 

Anastasiades said "we have no information at this point to suggest that race had anything to do with this incident."

Taylor said a "retired or off-duty" police officer was standing nearby and stepped in to corroborate Taylor's information. Taylor was taken to hospital by ambulance and released with a concussion and minor bruising on his ribs and abdomen.

Robert Mitchell, Victoria Taxi's operations manager, said he's called Saanich Police and they have not released more details, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

Taylor's wife, Rebecca Hay, said she's "heartbroken."

"I just couldn't understand why somebody would do this," she said. "Is [the driver] just going to carry on and feel that this is acceptable behaviour?"

Hay added that both she and Taylor are Indigenous "healers" and offer cultural sensitivity training. 

'Taxi drivers need sensitivity training'

The pair are now calling for taxi companies to employ stricter hiring processes and require sensitivity training.

"I don't know where the hiring practices are falling short, but there definitely needs to be some due diligence [with] who they're bringing in [to work] with the public," said Taylor. 

Taylor is also a history resource worker for Victoria schools and he says incidents like these happen frequently — often without repercussions.

"It makes me feel like there's still a lot of work to do," he said.

Any witnesses who may have seen the incident are asked to call Saanich Police.