Cab driver stabbed 6 times during attempted robbery in West Philly

WEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police are investigating after a cab driver was stabbed six times during an attempted robbery in West Philadelphia.

It happened around 12:40 p.m. Sunday on the 200 block of North 58th Street.

Police say a 35-year-old male cab driver, for Allthree's Luxury Sedan & Taxicab Service, was stabbed six times in the shoulder and back.

The suspect then hopped out of the car and ran, police say. The driver began to chase him before crashing at 58th and Vine.

"I just heard a loud boom," said a woman who didn't wish to be identified.

She tells Action News she had no idea the accident in front of her door step was about an attempted robbery.

"I didn't know what was going on at first, I just thought it was an accident," the woman said. "And then someone said that the guy was stabbed."

The victim was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in stable condition.

It's unclear where the driver picked up the suspect or for how long they'd been driving before he was stabbed, but this isn't the first time taxi drivers have been targeted.

In 2013, a spate of taxi drivers in West and Southwest Philadelphia were victims of attempted robberies.

The most violent happened at Cobbs Creek Parkway and Walnut Street where a driver was shot to death by a patron demanding his money.

"It didn't bother me until I found out someone was stabbed, so that was kind of creepy," the woman said.

The suspect was apparently seen wearing dark-colored clothing, and was last seen running northbound on 58th Street and eastbound on Vine.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.